One in a Million
by Orton Addict
Summary: Randy Orton had given up on finding love. His now nonexistant playboy ways had preceded him and no woman wanted an overgrown frat guy. But a chance snow storm may have finally led him to his one in a million. OrtonOC, Cena
1. The Perfect Stranger

Chapter One: The Perfect Stranger

This wasn't where he wanted to be. This wasn't what he wanted to hear. He wanted to be drifting off to sleep on the plane, waiting for it to take off. But, no, his flight was cancelled due to an incoming snowstorm. The thought of crashing at a hotel in Chicago had crossed his mind, but this damn blizzard fucked everything up again. If he stayed in Chicago, he would be stuck here for nearly a week if the storm brought in what was forecasted. He had no choice; he had to drive to St. Louis.

He walked up to the information counter and looked at the woman behind it. "Where can I get a rental car?"

"I can actually do that for you right here," she smiled. "Where are you driving to?"

"St. Louis," he muttered.

"You're brave. They say this storm that's coming in is going to shut down the whole Midwest."

"So I've heard. That's why I need to leave as soon as possible," he said, getting rather agitated before looking at his watch. It was already three thirty which would put him at arriving in St. Louis at eight thirty, nine o'clock and that wasn't taking the weather into consideration.

"Okay, I need to see your driver's license."

He dug in his pockets and pulled out his wallet before retrieving his driver's license and handing it to her. He zoned out as she rambled on about the snowstorm. He didn't give a shit. He just wanted to get home and drink his sorrows away.

She handed him a piece of paper and his license back. "Here's all of your information, Mr. Orton. Just go down to the Enterprise desk and they'll give you your keys."

Randy mumbled his thanks before grabbing his bags and heading the desk the woman had mentioned. He looked down at the paper and noticed the woman had given him a 2005 Dodge Dakota extended cab. Although the truck would handle well in the weather that was coming, it sure did have piss poor gas mileage.

He retrieved the keys and the truck before beginning the long five and a half hour journey to St. Louis. Randy hated driving. It gave him too much time to think about what he wasn't going home to. There was no wife, no kids, no one. Hell, there wasn't even a fucking goldfish. He sighed and turned on the radio to try and clear his head.

"Once again, there is a winter storm warning out, indefinitely. This is a big one, folks. Don't be out if you don't have to be. We're looking at freezing rain, snow accumulation up to seventeen inches, and winds coming in from the west at around forty miles per hour. Make sure you have what you need and stay home unless there's an emergency,"

Randy hit the power button on the radio. Chances were any other station he would be able to get in would be nothing but the same thing. This was going to be a long, silent drive home.

**Five hours later**

Randy couldn't see a damn thing. The freezing rain had started and the drifting snow was making it difficult for him to stay on the road. He should have only been a half an hour away but the blizzard had come in. On top of that, Randy barely had three hours of sleep under his belt. He could barely keep his eyes open and had no choice but to get off at the next exit: Macomb, Illinois.

He drove around the town for a few minutes before realizing that the best place he was going to be able to stay at was a Super 8 motel. He pulled into the parking lot before pulling the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and throwing on his thick leather coat. He shut off the truck, locked the doors and ran inside to the front desk.

"I need a single room for one night," he said, to the person behind the desk.

"Okay, that'll be forty dollars," she said in a soft voice.

"You take credit cards?" he asked, finally looking at her. She had shoulder length black hair and the most beautiful blue gray eyes he had ever seen.

"Yes, sir, we do."

He reached into his pocket for his wallet only to come up with nothing but his driver's license and his cell phone. He moved to the other pocket of his tracks and then to his leather coat. "What the fuck?" he muttered.

The girl in front of him looked at him, concerned. "Is there anything I can do, sir?"

"No. Damn it!" he said, banging his fist on the desk and startling her. "Sorry for wasting your time," he told her and walked back out to the truck.

He dropped his head on the steering wheel and began to think of where his wallet was. The last time he remembered having it out was at the airport, all the way in Chicago. Randy lifted his head up and looked out the windshield. The weather was getting worse. What the hell was he going to do? He had begun to zone out, trying to think of something that would get him out of this predicament when someone tapped on the passenger side window.

He looked over and saw the girl from inside the motel. He leaned over and unlocked the door, allowing her to get in. He didn't know what possessed him to let her in. For all he knew, she could have been some crazy serial killer.

"Can I help you?" Randy asked after a few silent minutes passed.

"No, but I was hoping I could help you," she said, her full lips quivering from the cold.

Randy started the truck and turned on the heater, noticing that the gas tank was almost empty. "I don't need your help," he lied.

"You don't have anywhere to stay and you don't have any money. I'd say you're in need of some help."

"Are you offering for me to stay with you?"

She nodded, putting her hands in front of the vent.

"But I don't even know your name," he said, studying her every move.

"Colby Taylor. I'm a student at WIU. What's your name?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. She didn't know who he was? He was the WWE Champion. How could she not know? "Randy Orton," he said, holding out his hand and she took it. From the moment her soft bare hand touched his, he had to resist the urge to lean over and plant a kiss on her plump lips.

"Look, Randy. I'm just trying to do something nice here. You seem like a guy who has just hit a rough spot. If I thought you were a rapist or something I wouldn't have thought twice about it. But, in the twenty minutes after you left, I figured out that it was my responsibility as a good person to offer you a place to stay. So, what do you say?"

He sighed, looking away from her for the first time since she had gotten into his truck. He really didn't have any other choice. He didn't have any money, the truck was almost out of gas and the weather was shit. "Okay, but I'm leaving as soon as I can. Where do you live?"

"You see those tall buildings over there?" she asked, pointing just down the road. "I live in the one on the far left."

"What are they? Apartments?"

"Yeah, I wish. They're dorms."


	2. Love

**Thanks to:giftiebee, Vera Roberts, JHenn Orton, ShannonMooreFan, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, RKOFan14 and gurl42069 for reviewing my first chapter. I really appreciate it.**

**I know I promised this chapter last Thursday or something but, I got distracted and writer's block reared its ugly head. Anyway, here it is and I hope to update _Hired Help_ sometime soon, also. I only own Colby, Elijah and Ryan.**

Chapter Two: Love

Randy inwardly groaned, but he knew he had no other choice. It was either that or him sleeping in the back of the truck for who knows how many days. He put the truck in drive and Colby directed him where to go.

After they pulled into the lot next to the building, she insisted on helping carry his bags inside and to the elevator.

"There aren't very many people here," Randy said before they stepped into elevator, noticing just the person behind the front desk.

"Almost everyone has left for Christmas break. The residence halls don't officially close until tomorrow, but everyone wants to get out of here as soon as possible," she replied, as they rode up to the tenth floor.

"Why are you still here, then?"

"I had to work and I can't afford to not go in," she said, getting off the elevator and leading him down to room 1018.

"So what happens if we get stuck here? There's no way we're going to be able to leave if we get what's forecasted."

"You ask a lot of questions, Randy," she commented, unlocking and opening the door before taking him into the small room. "I don't know. We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Just set your stuff down anywhere."

He nodded and did so before taking off his leather coat and walking to the window. The weather was only getting worse. If it continued for any length of time, Randy knew he would find himself staying there at least a week. He heard a noise and turned around to see her pulling apart her bed.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't have a roommate so when I got here, I had an extra bed. Well, only the bed frames could be stored so I just put one mattress on top of the other. I'll sleep on the mattress on the floor and you can have the one on the bed."

"I can sleep on the floor. You've done enough to let me stay here."

"Randy, I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm sleeping on the floor."

He nodded once again and took his eyes away from her and looked around the room. There was everything one would need; a refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, laptop and a TV. But Randy's eyes stopped on a picture frame. "This your boyfriend?" he asked, picking it up.

"Yeah, that's Elijah," Colby said, rather dismally.

The tone didn't go unnoticed by the Legend Killer but he didn't press the issue. "He looks a bit younger than you."

"He's actually a couple months older than me."

"Really? But you're like twenty-one, twenty-two, right?"

"Eighteen," she corrected as he turned around in shock. The girl in front of him looked young but not that young. "If I was that old, I sure as hell wouldn't be living in a dorm."

"You act a lot older than your age."

"If I only had a dollar for every time I heard that," she said, smiling weakly.

"You don't seem too happy about it," Randy said and put the picture back before sitting on the bed and removing his shoes.

"It's a curse more than anything. People say I take life too seriously and that I don't enjoy it like I should."

"That's just the opposite of how I used to be. I enjoyed life a little too much and now it's coming back and biting me in the ass," he responded, lying back on the bed. He had almost forgotten how tired he was and yawned. "Thanks, Colby," he muttered before closing his eyes.

Just before he drifted off to sleep, he heard her soft voice. "You're welcome, Randy."

Randy woke the next morning to violent shivers going through his body. He pulled the blankets close to him, but it did no good. It had to have only been around forty degrees in the room. He looked around and noticed Colby was gone.

He pulled the blankets tighter around him as he walked to the window. The weather the night before was nothing compared to what it was doing on that Saturday morning. "Shit," he muttered to himself.

"Pretty horrible isn't it?"

He turned around and saw Colby standing in the doorway with a heavy winter jacket on. He didn't even hear her come in. "Yeah. Is the heater not working?"

She shook her head. "I just went and talked to my resident advisor and she said that no one will be able to get up here and fix it for at least three or four days, depending on how long this lasts."

"Fuck."

"I'm sorry, Randy. Is there anywhere you have to be?"

"Well, I was supposed to be in St. Louis by Monday for a show," he said as his whole body continued to shake.

"A show? Are you a musician or something?" she asked, sitting on the mattress on the floor.

"No. I'm a professional wrestler," he admitted, sitting next to her.

"Oh," was all she said.

They sat there for about fifteen minutes, shaking and shivering, without saying a word, before Colby spoke up.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little bit. What do you have?"

"There's not much up here, but we do have a convenience store on the second floor that has a sub shop in it. Luckily, one of the few people that are stuck here, work down there and can open it up."

"That sounds good," Randy said, getting up and putting on his shoes. "Damn, it's fucking cold."

"Just wait until tonight rolls around," she answered.

They went down to the second floor and got some sandwiches and hiked back up the eight flights of stairs to Colby's room. Colby put on a pot of coffee and then unwrapped her sandwich.

"So what's it like?" she asked Randy.

"What?"

"Being a professional wrestler. What's it like?"

"It's hard work. Physically and mentally exhausting. You're on the road about 45 weeks of the year, but I love it."

"How can you love something that tears you apart so much?"

"It's in my blood. My dad and my grandfather were both wrestlers. When I was younger, I would sit and listen to my dad tell stories of the road, and I realized that I wanted that. I love the entertainment aspect of it. The rush of being out there is just incredible. Having all of those people cheer you or even boo you, which is what I get most of the time, is something that I'll never forget," he said and then paused to take a bite of his sandwich. "Tell me about your boyfriend. What's he like?"

Colby rolled her eyes, and hesitated before answering. "Elijah and I are two very different people nowadays. When we first started going out two years ago, everything was perfect. We loved spending time together and we just…happy. But then, he became this huge pothead. He got distant and I knew something was going on. He confessed and promised he'd never do it again, but…"

"He lied," Randy finished and she nodded.

"A couple times. Then we came over here and I thought that maybe it would bring us closer together, being over here by ourselves with no parents and just us, at least until we made new friends. Well, he made friends faster than I did. He met some guy named Ryan and they were inseparable. That's fine and dandy, but he seemed to forget about little ol' me. He'd promise to come watch a movie at five and then not show up until midnight. It's just like I went from being his everything to being nothing in the matter of weeks. But I love him."

Randy looked at her, confused. "How can you love someone that tears you apart so much?"


	3. Get to Know Me, Not My Relationships

**I know I promised this chapter like two weeks ago, but with Thanksgiving Break and going back to work and everything, I kind of got sidetracked. But when I got back to college, ironically the only place where I have time on my hands, I decided to sit my ass down and write. So here is another chapter.**

**Thanks to Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, gurl42069, giftiebee and RKOFan14 for reviewing chapter two.**

Chapter Three:

She knew nothing about him. Nothing except that he was a professional wrestler and used to party a little too much. So, when Colby began to delve into her relationship with Elijah, something she hadn't really discussed with anyone, she even surprised herself. But she knew she had said too much when she heard the question that she had asked him moments before. "How can you love someone who tears you apart so much?"

She said nothing but got up from the makeshift bed on the floor and walked to the coffeepot. She grabbed the two mugs beside it and filled them with coffee before handing one to Randy and taking her seat again.

"Are you going to answer me? I answered you, it's only fair," Randy said, taking a drink of his coffee.

"It's not as simple as your answer," she finally said.

"We have nothing but time."

Colby ran a hand through her short hair and stared into her coffee mug. "I guess I'm just holding onto the good times we had and hoping that maybe we can get back to that point."

"But you can't let your life fly by while you're waiting for him. You shouldn't revolve your life on what someone else it doing. It's not doing you any good."

She cleared her throat before taking a sip of her coffee. "I'd really rather not talk about it anymore."

"Maybe it'll do you some good to talk about it."

"I don't want to," she snapped slightly.

Randy held his free hand up in defeat, clearly taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. "Fine. I just thought I'd get to know you better."

"Well, you don't have to know about my relationship with Elijah to know about me," she replied, her voice back to being barely above a whisper.

"I think I can do that."

They talked about each other's lives for several hours. Randy found out that Colby only had one little sister, Allyson, who looked up to her tremendously and that Colby was extremely close to her mother who was the only one who knew everything that ever happened between Colby and Elijah. She was still undecided in her major but was thinking about doing an interdisciplinary studies program where she essentially got to make her own major. She planned on doing so by combining journalism, communications and graphic communications into one degree.

Colby, on the other hand, learned that Randy was from St. Louis and that his best friend was John Cena, the name she only recognized from the movie _The Marine_. He had also told her that he had his wild partying days but was now ready to settle down and start a family. Randy loved wrestling more than anything but he thought that he was getting burned out. He just needed some time off.

Once the sky became dark and the snow and ice continued to fall, Colby stood up. "I think I am going to jump in the shower. You can watch TV if you want to."

Randy nodded and watched her as she walked out of the room. He looked around the room in search of the remote but found something entirely different. He hated the fact that he was snooping, but when his sapphire eyes caught sight of a letter from Colby to Elijah, he couldn't help but read it.

_Dear Elijah,_

_We have been through a lot these last couple of years. So much that I thought we could survive anything. Out of all of the relationships back at home, people thought ours would last the longest. We used to balance each other out. You helped me let loose and have a little fun and I helped you be serious and focused. _

_But lately, everything has been different. Ever since we arrived to college, I've been nothing more to you than the dirt beneath your feet and I am fed up. I am almost to my breaking point. You have worn me out so much emotionally that there's days when I don't even want to roll out of bed, but just stay secluded in my room and wonder what the hell I did that made you decide that I wasn't good enough for your affection anymore. _

_Here I am, at eighteen years old, worrying about things that people twice my age are worrying about. This isn't fair to me or you. If you're not happy being in a relationship with me anymore, then you know what to do. There is no sense in putting both of us through that sort of misery. Because, let's face it, neither one of us is happy the way we are now. _

_Something's got to change whether it be our relationship or ourselves. When you read this, I hope you understand where I am coming from. I hate being like this, Elijah. I hate having to write this, but I can't take much more of the disrespect and hurtful things that you have said to me. I hope to work things out with you and to make a change in how we treat each other. I love you Elijah King and I always will._

_Love,_

_Colby R. Taylor_

Randy sat in the chair in front of the desk, thinking about what he had just read. This poor girl didn't deserve this guy. She deserved much more. From what little time he had spent with her, Randy realized that she was a very determined and focused person and all this Elijah guy was doing was deterring her from what she wanted.

He sighed as he heard the doorknob turn and hurriedly put the letter back where he found it. He turned just in time to see Colby walk in with her hair wrapped in a towel. She was dressed in a pair of flannel pajama pants and a thick hoodie.

"Have a good shower?" Randy asked before realizing how stupid the question really was.

She shook her head as her teeth chattered. "The water heater is out, too. It was so fucking cold."

"I bet," he replied. They fell into a rather uncomfortable silence.

"I told you that you could watch TV," Colby said after a few minutes.

"I couldn't find the remote."

She raised her eyebrows and nodded toward the TV, causing Randy to smile sheepishly as he took the remote off the top of the TV.

"Here," he said, handing it to her. "I think I'm going to go brave the shower."

"Oh, yeah, I talked to my R.A. (resident advisor) and she said that since us three are the only ones on the floor that you can take a shower here. Normally, you would have to go to a guy's floor."

"Okay," he said and grabbed some clothes and a towel out of his bag before walking down the hall to the showers. As he began to brace himself for the cold water to come, Randy couldn't help but to think about the letter from Colby to Elijah and how he could make things better for her.


	4. Perfect Gentleman

**Thanks to giftiebee, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, CapriceCC, RKOFan14, and Vera Roberts for reviewing. I love you guys! Just so ya'll understand WIU lingo "C-Store" is convenience store and I'm just gonna say RA for resident assistant because I'm too lazy to type it out (yeah, I know it's sad). Anyway, I have nothing else to gab about so here is the next chapter.**

Chapter Four: Perfect Gentleman

Colby sat down at the desk and looked at the clock. It was only seven o'clock in the evening even though it felt like it should be around three in the morning. She sighed, picking up her cell phone and making the cal that she had been putting off all day; the one to her mother.

"Hello?" her mom, Ann, answered. Apparently she hadn't looked at the caller ID.

"Hi, mom."

"Colby? Where the hell are you? Are you okay? You aren't driving in this, are you?"

"Ma, I'm still at school in my dorm room. I'm fine."

"Well, thank God. Your sister and I have been worried sick, not to mention your dad. What took you so long to call?"

"Just lost track of time," she lied.

"Oh, how is that? Is Elijah there with you?"

"No, he got a ride home with Ryan before all of this shit started. You really didn't expect him to stick around and wait for me, did you?"

"I was hoping he would. Anyway, do you have enough food and everything?"

"The C-Store is open. One of the people that's stuck here works there, so I guess we lucked out."

"I guess so. I'm glad it's not just you there. I would hate for you to be there by yourself."

At that moment the door to her room was flung open and in walked a shirtless, shivering Randy. "I forgot a clean shirt," he said, his teeth chattering.

Colby couldn't help but stare. This man had the body of a Greek God. She was so enamored with his sculpted, tan torso, that she didn't even hear her mother question her.

"Colby! Are you listening to me?" Ann asked, finally getting her daughter's attention.

"Sorry, mom, what?"

"Who was that? Do you have a guy there?"

"Uh…yeah…that was Randy," she said as the Adonis-like man looked up from his suitcase upon hearing his name.

"Randy? I never heard you talk about a Randy before."

"I just met him yesterday while I was work. He came in and realized that he lost his wallet, so I told him he could stay with me."

"You brought in a man off the streets? Colby, what the hell is the matter with you? For all you know, he could be a serial killer or a rapist or…"

"Ma, chill out! I couldn't just leave him stranded. All he had wa…"

Colby hadn't even noticed that a now fully clothed Randy had been standing behind her, so when he grabbed the phone from her hand, she was obviously startled.

"Mrs. Taylor?" Randy questioned into the phone. "I just want to say that your daughter was very generous for letting me stay with her. I truly had nowhere to sleep except the back of my truck. I had just come from Chicago and I left my wallet at O'Hare and I have no idea what I would've done if I hadn't run into Colby."

Colby sat at the desk, her head in her hands. She could only imagine what her mom was going on about.

"I'm twenty seven, ma'am," he said as Colby raised her eyebrows. He didn't look a day over twenty one. "I promise to be nothing but a gentleman. It's the least I could do for someone as kind-hearted as your daughter. Would you like to talk to her again?"

There was a pause as Randy listened to her mom's answer. "Okay. It was a pleasure talking to you, Mrs. Taylor," he said before handing the phone back to Colby, smiling.

She put the phone up to her ear, cautiously, wondering if she should have just said Randy's voice was the TV. "I'm back, Ma."

"Do you have any idea when you're going to be able to leave?"

"I have no clue, Mom. Whenever I can. It's still coming down like crazy over here."

"Okay, well, just keep me updated."

"I will, Mom."

"Good. And just for the record, you did a good thing, honey. I'll talk to you soon. I love you."

"Love you, too."

Colby hung up the phone and sternly looked over Randy, who sat on the bed, smiling like an idiot.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Just coming over and taking the phone from me like that?"

His smile disappeared. He wasn't really expecting this kind of reaction from her. "I was only trying to help."

"Well," she began before her plump lips formed a small grin, "you did. Thanks."

"No problem. So, what do you do around here for fun?" he asked, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and shoving his hands in the front pouch.

"A lot when we aren't stuck here. We have a bowling alley, a movie theater on campus. There's a rec center across the parking lot. A small gym on the first floor…"

"There's a gym? In this building?" he interrupted as she nodded. "Awesome. I should probably get a workout in."

"It won't be open now. But I could check and tomorrow see if anyone's got keys to it."

He nodded and leaned his head against the wall. "So, when we were talking earlier, you didn't say anything about your dad. What's up with him?"

"My dad's a truck driver. He's gone most of the time so I only get to see him once every couple of weeks, but it's been like that ever since I was little. And miraculously my parents are still together."

"Sounds a lot like my childhood. My dad was always on the road with wrestling. At one point I thought that was what dads were supposed to do."

"Yep, I know all about that," she laughed. "She…um…do you want to watch a movie?"

"Sure, what do you have?"

She motioned him over to a large tote next to the TV and opened it up.

"For not being a wrestling fan, you sure do have a lot of movies with wrestlers in them. _Blade Trinity_, _The Marine_, _See No Evil,_ _Gridiron Gang. _The only recent one you're missing is _The Condemned_."

"Almost all of these were bought for me. My best friend Lauren bought _Blade Trinity_ for me for Christmas one year and Elijah bought _Gridiron Gang _and _See No Evil _for me for my birthday," she explained as Randy rolled his eyes at the mention of her boyfriend's name, but she didn't notice and continued on. "The only one I bought was _The Marine_ and the only reason I bought it was because in the preview I saw that this John Cena guy with his shirt off. I definitely didn't buy it for the acting. Marine or not, nobody would've survived all of those explosions. It's so unrealistic."

Randy smiled, making a mental note to introduce Colby to John someday. They ended up choosing _Talladega Nights_ and Randy made himself comfortable on the bed while Colby sat on the makeshift bed after putting in the DVD.

"I don't bite, you know," Randy said to her. "You can sit up here."

"No, I'm okay," she replied, stretching her legs out before rolling her ankles, causing the bones to crack.

"I promised your mom I'd be a gentleman. Plus, it's colder down on the floor," he told her, wincing at the sound of the bones popping as she moved to her fingers and finally her back and neck. "That's not good for your body."

"Yeah, I know. My ankles and fingers are just out of habit, but when I was about twelve or thirteen, I fell off the top bunk of my and my sister's bunk beds and landed right on my tailbone which caused everything to get shoved upward. It hasn't been right ever since."

Randy tried to hold his chuckle back, but it seemed to have a mind of its own. "You fell off a bunk bed?"

"Yeah, and it hurt like hell. And thanks to that, my spine is abnormally curved and hurts constantly," she said, clearly offended that he had laughed at her injury.

She could see the immediate regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry. How about I make it up to you? Come up here," he said, patting the bed in front of him.

Colby looked at him reluctantly but decided to do as he said and sat on the bed. "Lay on your stomach." She did so and awaited his next instruction. "Now, take off your shirt."


	5. Old Soul

**Thanks to giftiebee, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, CapriceCC, techwiz and butterflydance21 for reviewing chapter four. I really appreciate it! I love when you guys review, it makes me happy :)**

Chapter Five: Old Soul

"Excuse me?" Colby asked as she turned to Randy, resisting the urge to bitch slap him across the face.

"Well, you won't get the full effect with it on," Randy told her, leaning back against the wall.

"So much for you being a perfect gentleman," she said and stood up from the bed.

"What's so wrong about a massage? Last time I checked, it wasn't a sin or anything."

"A massage?" Colby questioned, sheepishly.

"Yeah, that thing where someone rubs your sore muscles and is just trying to be helpful," Randy replied, somewhat spiteful.

It was Colby's turn to feel bad. She sat back down beside Randy, setting her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Randy. I guess I just jumped to conclusions, especially after talking to my mother. Of course, maybe it would've helped if you told me what you were doing."

"Yeah, I could've done things a little bit differently."

"We both could've," she smiled. "So…um…are you still willing to give me that massage?"

"As long as I'm not accused of sexual harassment again."

"Deal," Colby said lying back down on her stomach. She raised the back of her shirt up to her shoulder blades and immediately felt the frigid air hit her toned back and wasn't sure if she could stand the cold long enough to sit through this. But then, Randy straddled the back of her thighs and touched her freezing back with his surprisingly warm hands.

He noticed her shiver but wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from his touch. He began kneading her back with his soft hands. "Where does it hurt at?"

Colby wondered if she should tell him the truth. Her lower back was killing her but that was a little too close for comfort for her especially after knowing this man less than twenty four hours. "You know what? I don't think I can do this."

"It's just a massage, Colby," Randy said, continuing to rub her back.

"Yeah, I know and it feels really good." _Almost too good_, she thought to herself. "It's just that I'm freezing. And the back of my shirt being up doesn't help."

Randy sighed and sat back on the bed, allowing her to get up. "Okay," he said and turned his attention back to the movie that had been forgotten.

Colby sat on the edge of the bed and pulled down her shirt as they fell into an uncomfortable silence. About halfway through _Talladega Nights_ Randy finally spoke up.

"This movie is incredibly cheesy. _Shake and bake_. That's really original," he chuckled.

"You've never seen this movie before? You're the one that picked it."

"I haven't had time to sit down and watch it. And John said it was funny, but that should have told me something right there."

"Tell me about John. What's he like?"

Randy shook his head and smiled. "John Cena is a character. Once that guy is your friend, you can never get rid of him. He's a very passionate and intense person. He can get on your nerves from time to time but whenever you need him, he'll drop everything to be there for you."

"Sounds like a good guy," Colby said, looking down at her hands.

"You'll have to meet him sometime."

Colby looked up at him, curiously. "Really?"

Randy stared back into her steel blue eyes. "What? You didn't think that I was just going to forget about when I leave, did you?"

"I know you have other things to do then stay friends with an eighteen year old."

"Yeah, maybe any other eighteen year old, but that's not what you are, Colby. You took me in when you could've just let me sleep in my truck. And though I've only known you for a day, I can tell we're going to be in each other's lives for a long time," Randy told her, setting his hand on hers.

She grinned slightly and nodded. "I hope so."

* * *

The next day, Colby had found someone with a set of keys to the small gym on the first floor of her dorm and Randy was more than grateful. As he completed his third mile on the treadmill, he began to think about the last forty eight hours. He was so fucking pissed when he found out that his flight had been canceled, but then if it hadn't he wouldn't have met Colby.

The night before after overcoming the awkward silence that encompassed them after Randy's attempt at a massage, they began to talk and did so until four in the morning. It was then that Randy realized that her birth certificate may have said that she was only eighteen, but that she had an old soul. She believed in true love that lasted forever. Fifty plus years of marriage is what she looked forward to someday without even a thought of getting divorced.

She was a hopeless romantic and although Randy would never admit it to any of the guys, so was he. He looked for the same thing that she did. He wanted a family and a wife to grow old with. He wanted the American dream and for some reason, he knew that Colby would be the person to lead him to it.

He stopped the treadmill and got off before looking outside through the window walls. The snow was still coming down. The woman at the airport wasn't kidding when she said that this storm was going to shut down the whole Midwest. He sighed as he heard his cell phone start to ring from the floor beside the treadmill.

He picked it up without looking at the caller ID. He knew who it was and quite frankly he had expected the call a lot sooner.

"Hey, Cena," Randy greeted.

"Where the hell are you, Orton? I'm standing outside your house right now, freezing my ass off waiting for you to answer the damn door."

"I'm not at home, John. I got stuck in this fucking blizzard. I'm in Macomb."

"You're in your comb? What?"

"_Macomb_, Illinois, John. I'm snowed in. It's still snowing like crazy here. Is it there?"

"No, I guess it stopped yesterday, but that's the least of my worries. I was supposed to crash with you. What the hell am I supposed to do now?" John asked, his teeth chattering.

"Walk over to the garage. There's a loose piece of siding down at the very bottom of the house on the left side. Take that off and a key is taped there."

"Okay," John said and trudged through the knee deep snow. "So where are you staying?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"I am staying in a dorm."

"What?" John questioned, pulling the key from its hiding place.

"It's a long story."

After five minutes John's badgering to get him to tell him of how things came to be the way they were, Randy gave in and told him everything from his flight being canceled to leaving his wallet to meeting Colby.

"Snowed in with a sexy co-ed. Doesn't sound so bad to me."

Randy shook his head at his friend as he walked to the stairwell. "It's not like that, man. She's…I don't know…she's nothing like I've ever seen before."


	6. A Song For Every Moment

Chapter Six: A Song for Every Moment

Randy continued to climb the nine flights of stairs to Colby's room, all the while his cell phone attached to his ear.

"So, you're not going to be able to make it to RAW tomorrow?" John asked his best friend.

"Nope, not unless it turns ninety degrees and sunny in the next twenty four hours."

"Well, you are in Illinois and usually if you don't like the weather one day just wait until tomorrow and it'll be different."

"I've been waiting for about three days now and it hasn't changed, Cena," Randy said, rolling his eyes as he finally reached the tenth floor. "Listen, I gotta go. Make yourself at home, just don't trash the place."

"Sure thing, Orton," John replied a little more half-heartedly than Randy would've liked. "Let me know when you get outta there."

"Will do. I'll catch you later," Randy said and hung up as he reached Colby's door which was halfway open. He was about to enter when he heard a distressed voice on the other side.

"What the hell was I supposed to do, Elijah? If I ran into you in that situation, would you rather have me leave you there or offer you a place to stay?" Colby asked before he heard a male voice from, presumably, her speakerphone.

"That's not the fucking point, Colby. The point is you let some random guy stay with you. I knew you were pissed at me for leaving but you have stooped to a new low."

"This wasn't something to make you jealous. I just thought it was the right thing to do. It's not like he would do anything we me of all people."

"Of course not. You're lucky to even have me."

'What the fuck is this punk's problem?' Randy thought to himself. 'He's got the most wonderful and beautiful girl and he treats her like this?'

Then the voice continued. "Anyway, it's not about that. It's about the fact that you were trying to get laid with someone else. It's amazing how much of a little slut you've turned into."

"What the fuck ever, Elijah. I don't have to sit and fuckin' take this," Colby said and Randy could tell she was crying.

"But you don't have the fucking nerve to leave me, so you might as well just get over it," he said and Randy soon heard the sound that signaled the end of the call.

He stood outside for a few minutes, wondering whether or not he should make his presence known. He made his decision as soon as he heard sobs from inside the room. He walked in and saw Colby sitting at the computer desk, headphones plugged into her computer and in her ears. He set his cell phone down on the dresser and walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her.

"You okay?"

She pulled the headphones from her ears and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's this song," she said, pointing to the computer. "It's really sad."

"Are you sure?" Randy asked, trying to get her to open up.

"Of course," she smiled, weakly. "I'm fine,"

Randy looked away from her and took her hand in his as he sat in the chair next to her. "I heard what your boyfriend said to you and you have every right to be upset. Do you want to talk about it?"

"You know, Randy," she said after a couple minutes of silence. "I may not have learned a lot in my eighteen years, but I have learned at least one thing."

"What's that?" he asked, confused by the change in subject.

"That there is a song for every moment in your life. No matter what you're going through, there is always someone who went through it first and they've written a song about it."

"And what's the song for this moment? This thing that you're going through?"

She smiled to herself before looking into his eyes. "I highly doubt you listen to this kind of music."

"I don't know. I'm kind of open-minded. I listen to Metallica, Pantera, Metallica and Metallica," he joked. "But I'd love to here it."

"It's called "Something That I Already Know" by…" she paused, "the Backstreet Boys."

Randy slightly cringed at the thought, but reminded himself that chances are this would help Colby. "Go ahead, play it."

She pulled her headphones from the computer and clicked a button and they soon heard music begin to play from the speakers.

_Here we are, seven days  
And seven nights of empty tries  
It's ritual, habitual   
But it's never gonna work this time_

_We're to the point of no return  
And along the way the only thing we've learned  
Is how to hurt each other_

_I'm looking back and wondering why  
It took so long to realize  
That nothing's changed, it never will  
All these years of standing still  
And still we stay in all this pain  
And nothing's gonna make it go away_

_I don't wanna wait another minute  
Put me out of my misery  
I can read your mind baby you're not in it  
And we're not what we used to be  
No you wouldn't have to lie to me  
If you would only let me go  
And I don't wanna wait another minute to hear  
Something that I already know  
I know, I know, I know  
Something that I already know  
I know, I know, I know_

Randy looked up at her and noticed that the tears had begun to fall again. He hated this, he hated the bastard that did this to her and he didn't even know him, but he couldn't deny that even when she was crying, she was absolutely beautiful. How can anyone do this to her?

He even had to fight off the urge to lean up and kiss her troubles away, to prove Elijah wrong; that she was someone special and that she could have someone so much better than him. But at the same time, it might prove him right, not intentionally of course. If he were to kiss her and Elijah were to find out about it, it would only make things harder for Colby. And he didn't want that at all.

Randy was so infatuated with her, he didn't even notice the song had ended and she was staring blankly at the screen before finally speaking. "I'm sorry that you had to hear that, Randy," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes once again.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

"I don't need a pity party. I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me. I just want him to care for me and treat me like I deserved to be treated."

"Colby, I don't know you, you don't know me. But I do know how you should be treated and Elijah isn't treating you that way. You need to leave him."

"You don't understand, Randy. Elijah and I have been through so much together. There's no way I can just give up on us now."

"You need to stop living in the past and think about your future. And if you're like this now, how are you going to be in a year or so. You are going to be a shell of the woman that you are. You don't deserve this, Colby, no human being does. Stand up for yourself," Randy told her.

Then, unexpectedly, Colby threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. Randy had no choice but to hold her.

**So, I guess I should admit that my guilty pleasure is listening to the Backstreet Boys. I've loved them since forever and have every single CD, but don't worry, I am no longer in the teeny bopper stage of being a fan. Used to be, but not anymore.**

**Anyway, here's another chapter and since said that I updated **_**Love Is Not Enough **_**on the 31****st****, I guess this is technically the first update of 2008. **

**Thanks to Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, RKOFan14, Princess-of-Extreme, xKillerstyle.Blvd., giftiebee, techwiz, Vera Roberts and jada951 for reviewing.**

**Please review!!!!**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	7. Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon

Chapter Seven: Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon

_Colby held onto Randy, sobbing into his shoulder. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I have busted my ass for him, Randy. More than any one could ever know," she cried. _

_Randy pulled her as close to him as he could, placing a hand on the back of her neck while the other ran up and down her spine. He breathed in her scent, a smell of freshness that he had never smelt before. He had smelt a lot of women's perfume, but never anything as refreshing as what she had on. Like a breath of fresh air. He snapped back into reality and began to focus on the situation at hand. He regrettably pulled Colby away from him and tilted her chin up so her steel blue eyes met his sapphire ones._

"_Listen to me, sweetie, you can't go through life like this. This isn't the right way to live."_

"_I love him, Randy. I don't know what I would do without him."_

"_But look what's happening to you when you are with him? He may say that he loves you too, but people who love each other don't talk to each other the way he talked to you. That's called abuse. Verbal abuse. You shouldn't have to take that."_

_Colby looked away from him and down at her hands, twirling the amethyst ring on her finger._

"_I know what you're probably thinking," Randy continued. "What the hell do I know about love? I know a lot believe it or not because I have been in love before. And I got my heart broken, much like you are getting yours broken right now. Little bit different circumstances but, broken all the same," Randy realized that he had begun to ramble and shut his mouth quickly as she stayed silent but looked back up at him._

"_I want you to promise me something, Colby. Can you do that?" he asked, pushing a stray piece of her raven hair from her eyes as she nodded. "I want you to promise me, that you do what makes you happy. I want you to figure out what YOU want and if you want to stay with Elijah, then do it, but just don't sit back and let him treat you like this, because I'm not sure how much more I can take of you being this miserable."_

"_How much YOU can take?" she managed to squeak out._

"_Yeah. Like it or not, I'm pretty sure you're stuck with me for awhile, even after we get outta here."_

_She smiled slightly and then did another unexpected action. She leaned over to Randy and gave him a short kiss on his lips before making her way over to the bed and laying down._

Hours later after Colby broke down in Randy's arms; he sat in the same chair she had been in, his lips still tingling from the impromptu kiss and watching her as she slept. Normally, Randy would find someone watching another person sleep kind of weird, but he couldn't help himself. Everything about her was beautiful. The way her dark eyelashes fanned over her cheeks; how she was curled up in a little ball while she slept and even the soft moans that emanated from her sleeping form every once in a while made her the most gorgeous being Randy had ever laid eyes on.

He soon felt his own eyes start to burn from exhaustion, but there was too much running through his mind for him to even begin to try and get some rest. He rose from the chair and looked outside. The sky had grown dark long before then and the snow had lightened up, but was still coming down a steady pace.

And as far as Randy concerned, the snow could keep coming. He could stay with Colby for the rest of his life and it wouldn't bother him a damn bit. He sat back down and turned to her computer and turned it on. Colby had told him to make himself at home and he was sure she wouldn't mind if he checked his e-mail. He had been on there at the most, five minutes when a message popped up.

**Laurabelle89: **hey, girl, what's up?

'Laurabelle? Must be Lauren, Colby's best friend' Randy thought to himself and typed in a response.

**Gorgeousgrays1018: **Not much. Bored.

**Laurabelle89:** yeah, I talked to your mom today and she told me that you were stuck at school. That has to suck.

**Gorgeousgrays1018:** It's alright. Cold though.

**Laurabelle89: **But from what I hear you got a pretty hot guy on your hands to keep you warm. I googled Randy Orton and I have to say that you are one lucky girl. Have you seen those towel pics? DAMN!

Randy laughed to himself. He would never figure out how those pictures got on the internet, but vowed to himself a long time ago that if he ever did, he would permanently injure that person that put them out there. He looked back at the screen and figured he'd do some shameless self promoting

**Gorgeousgrays1018: **yah, you should see him in person

**Laurabelle89:** I can only imagine. Could we possibly have a new man in the future…hint, hint.

"I could only hope," Randy thought out loud, but decided not to delve into this topic with Colby's best friend and take the risk getting found out.

**Gorgeousgrays1018: **Sorry, I gotta go. My RA wants to talk to me about something. Will talk to you soon

**Laurabelle89:** Ok. Call me soon. Let me know when you get outta there.

**Gorgeousgrays1018: **will do

And with that Randy signed off of the internet. Obviously, Colby's friends were about as happy about her relationship with Elijah as he was. He turned in the chair to see Colby still sleeping in the same position and realized that that he should probably get to sleep and turned in for the night.

The next morning, Randy woke on the makeshift bed to find himself wrapped up in Colby's arms. He took a deep breath, breathing in her scent once again. He spent several minutes just basking in the feel of her around him and he was so caught up in it, he didn't even notice that she had woken up.

She leaned up and looked at him. "Hey," she greeted softly.

He smiled down at her. "I didn't expect you to wake up down here with me."

"I woke up in the middle of the night and felt bad that I had made you sleep down here. Plus you looked cold and the only way for both of us to be warm was to double up on the blankets and share a bed."

"Thanks," he replied, the smile never leaving his face. "Are you free tonight?" he asked although he knew the answer.

"What do you think?

"Just making sure. Would like to watch my show with me?"

"You mean wrestling?" she asked as he nodded. "I would love to."

**Thanks to Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, Queen Cena, ShannonMooreFan, babyxbxgurl, techwiz, CapriceCC and RKOFan14 for reviewing.**

**Also some shameless plugging: If you haven't checked out my 2 (Yes 2) new stories **_**Clumsy **_**and**_** Pour Me a Drink**_**, please do so and let me know what you think.**

**And don't forget to review this chapter! I Love You all!!!**


	8. Let It Snow

Chapter Eight: Let It Snow

Colby got up from the bed and walked over to the window. "It stopped snowing," she said, her head tilted to the side, in a way that Randy found absolutely adorable.

He climbed from his spot and stood behind her and for the first time since he had been there, realized the enormous height difference between them. "How tall are you?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"5'3. I know, I'm short," she sighed looking up at him.

"Nah, you're not short," he smiled. "I'd say you're fun size."

"You're kidding me, right? That's so cheesy."

"I guess I'm cheesy then. Does that bother you?"

"No, because I'm cheesy, too. And I'm about to ask you to do something cheesy with me."

"Really? What's that?"

She turned around to face him, their bodies just centimeters apart. "I want you to go play in the snow with me."

"Colby, do you realize how cold it is outside? It has to only be like four degrees."

"That's just not fair, Randy," she said, poking his chest with her finger and sending chills down his spine. "I said that I would watch your wrestling and you can't even go outside and play in the snow with me?"

"But you watching wrestling with me won't end up with one of us possibly having pneumonia," Randy reasoned with Colby, who just pushed out her bottom lip. "Don't do that."

"Please, Randy. This will be my chance to show you that I'm more than just a stupid eighteen year old with a bunch of boyfriend drama…"

"I would never think that," he interrupted.

"I know you wouldn't, I…I just want to show you that I do have a fun side, too. Please, do this for me," she pleaded.

Randy sighed and sat down in the chair at the computer desk as she turned to look back out the window. "I don't even have any gloves or boots."

"I actually have a pair of my dad's gloves that accidentally got put in my duffel bag instead of his. So you can wear those. And as far as boots, why not just wear your wrestling boots?"

"You're going to find any way you can to get me to go out with you, aren't you?" Randy asked, not thinking about the words coming out of his mouth.

"Excuse me?" she asked, turning her head from the window to him.

Randy inwardly cursed himself for not thinking before speaking. "I meant go out in the snow with you."

Colby shrugged it off. "Well, will you?"

He took another glance outside and, damn, did it look cold. But ten minutes later he found himself walking out into said cold in his wrestling boots and Colby's dad's gloves.

"What the hell was I thinking?" he questioned aloud as Colby smiled.

"You were wondering if I was more than a sobbing teenager who can't seem to get herself out of a bad relationship."

"But that's not what you are," he said as Colby arched an eyebrow toward him. "You're a young woman who looks for the best in people. And even when they manage to turn down the wrong path, you still have faith that they'll come back to their roots."

"Thanks, Randy," she smiled. "But, enough about that. We came out here to have fun. And, uh, I just want to apologize ahead of time."

"For what?"

"Just in case any of the snowballs I throw at you have any ice in them."

Randy grinned and placed a large hand on her shoulder. "That's only IF you can hit me."

"That shouldn't be too hard. I mean you're only like six and a half feet tall."

"Six foot four, two hundred and forty-five pounds," he rattled off his stats.

"Thank you for proving my point, Mr. Orton," she said before taking off toward the back of the building.

Randy just shook his head and began walking in the direction she had headed. He had just made it to the back of the building when he was met with a snowball to the face.

"Ow," he said, wiping the snow from his face. "That shit stung. I think there really might've been ice in that." He kept his gloved hand covering his face, causing Colby to run over to him.

"Let me see, Randy. Are you bleeding?" she asked, trying to pry his hand away.

"No, I think I'm fine," he replied before shoving Colby down into the big snow drift behind her.

"That's bullshit, Orton!" Colby yelled from her spot in the snow.

"What can I say? I learned from the dirtiest player in the game," he laughed, holding his hand out to help her up.

"What?" she asked, her face contorted in confusion.

"The Nature Boy, Ric Flair? Sixteen time World Champion? Even non-wrestling fans know him."

"Not this one," she replied, finally grabbing his hand but instead of pulling herself up, she pulled him down.

Randy managed to catch himself just enough to keep him from crushing her. He looked down into her eyes and then her lips that were maybe an inch away from his. Even with the insane amount of clothing between them, Randy couldn't fight the feeling of having her underneath him.

He captured her lips with his and immediately felt like fireworks were going of in his chest. She kissed him back, her hand moving to the back of his neck, urging him to continue. She finally pulled away and caressed his face with her gloved hand before pulling his stocking cap down a little further to cover his forehead all the while just smiling up at him.

"Do you mind, Randy?"

Randy shook himself from his thoughts and got up off of her. "Sorry," he apologized, the red creeping into his cheeks from embarrassment. He watched her get up, undoubtedly wishing that what he had just envisioned had actually happened. "So, what now?" he asked.

"Let's just take a walk. I promise no more snowballs to the face," she laughed.

He nodded and began to follow her as she walked up toward the building. They hadn't gotten very far when her cell phone began to ring. She pulled it from the inside pocket of her large coat and looked at the caller ID.

"You've got to be kidding me," she sighed before looking to him. "It's my boss. I have to take it."

He leaned against the brick wall of the building as she answered the phone. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again, sounding quite irritated.

"Didn't my mom tell you that I was stuck here at school? There's no way I could've made it home this weekend, Vonnie. Absolutely none. I highly doubt you guys are going to be that busy anyway. If anyone's out they're going to be buying food and supplies, not clothes."

Randy stared at her, thoroughly lost. She worked at a hotel…what was all of this about clothes? A few minutes later she hung up and noticed his confused demeanor.

"That was Vonnie, my boss from back home. I work at a clothing store and I was supposed to work today, but apparently that didn't happen," she sighed, putting her phone away before noticing Randy shivering. "Let's go inside. I'll make us some hot chocolate."

The hours passed and soon Randy and Colby sat on the bed and she changed the channel to USA.

"So, Randy, what should I expect when we watch this?" she asked as the end credits of _Law and Order_ rolled across the screen.

"Well, you can definitely expect John to come out there and run his mouth especially since I'm not there. I'm sure they're going to go somewhere along the lines that I'm being a chicken shit and don't want nothing to do with John since he 'beat me up' last week."

"So are you good guy or a bad guy?"

Randy chuckled to himself before answering. "I'm probably the biggest asshole in the WWE right now."

"Wow, I never woulda thought that. You've been so sweet the whole time you've been here."

"Thanks," he said as the opening theme to RAW began to play. "You know, I haven't watched this live in like five years."

"That's crazy. You don't get much time off, do you?"

Randy shook his head. "But you know what's ironic? We had next week off, because of the holidays and all and I just so happened to get out of my last week of work."

They were silent again while Vince McMahon walked out and Randy looked to Colby's face, waiting for the expression once she saw the Chairman's signature walk.

"Who the hell is this?" she asked.

"That's my boss, the owner of the WWE."

"Really? You think he could afford some walking lessons or something."

"We all think that."

Randy spent the next couple of hours explaining storylines, moves and rules to Colby as they watched and it wasn't until the very end, when Jeff Hardy did a Swanton Bomb from the top rope, that Randy realized that Colby was hooked.

"That guy was amazing!" she said, her mouth open in shock.

"Oh, that was nothing. He's done that move off of twenty foot ladders through tables. He's crazy," Randy laughed.

"I think I just might have to find a couple of these shows on DVD over Christmas break. They do sell them on DVD, right?"

"Oh yeah," Randy nodded, but was saddened at the thought that soon they would be going their separate ways. "About Christmas…"

"What about it?" Colby asked.

"I have something to ask you, but I don't want you to get freaked out or anything."

"Just spit it out, Randy. I'm not going to freak out."

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I want you to come spend Christmas with me."

* * *

**Thank you's go out to giftiebee, CapriceCC, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, ShannonMooreFan, Fallen1987 and pinkshadow89 for reviewing! I really appreciate it, guys. And don't forget to review this chapter!!**


	9. What the Doctor Ordered

Chapter Nine: What the Doctor Ordered

Colby stared at Randy in shock. There was no way that he had just asked her that. Absolutely no way.

"What?" she finally managed to squeak out.

"I want you to spend Christmas with me," he repeated.

Her first instinct was to agree whole-heartedly, but then she remembered that she wasn't twenty-seven like he was. She was eighteen and her family expected her to come home and spend the holidays with them. Not to mention what Elijah would think.

"I'm sorry, Randy. I can't," she told him, apologetically.

"Oh," was all he said as his eyes moved from her to the floor, clearly disappointed. "I shouldn't have asked. It was stupid of me to."

"No, Randy, it wasn't," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I would love to spend Christmas with you, but my family wants me to be home."

Randy's spirits rose slightly knowing that if she could she would've chosen to spend the holiday with him. "But I really shouldn't have asked you this soon. We've known each other for a whole three days, not three years, although it kinda seems like it. I was just hoping that I'd have someone else to look forward to other than Cena."

"What about your parents?"

"They're in the Bahamas celebrating their anniversary."

Colby frowned at the thought of him not even having his parents with him on Christmas. Then as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, Colby had an idea. She picked up her cell phone and headed for the door. "I'll be right back."

She wandered down the hall a little bit while dialing her mother's number. "Hey, mom it's me," Colby said upon hearing her mom pick up the phone.

"Hey, sweetie. What's up?"

"I have a huge favor to ask you."

"How huge, Colby?"

"Nothing short of enormous. I was wondering if Randy and his friend John could come and spend Christmas with us. Now, before you say anything, ma, let me say this. He and John would be spending Christmas with just each other. No family or anything. And you've said it yourself, everyone deserves to at least have a Christmas dinner."

"What made you think of this?" her mother sighed.

"Randy asked me to go stay with him for Christmas. Of course, I said no but he sounded so down. Please, mom. This is the only thing I want for Christmas. Please."

"Where are they going to sleep, Colby?"

"One can have the couch and the other can have the air mattress," she replied, thinking on her toes. "Please, mom."

After a moment's silence, Ann finally answered. "Alright, Colby, but you're going to have to be the one explaining this to your father."

"Thank you so much, mom. I promise, I'll do the dishes the whole time I'm home."

"I'm going to hold you to that. Do you know when you're going to be able to get home?"

"Probably Wednesday or Thursday if they hurry up and get the roads cleared off."

"Okay, call me later and let me know for sure."

"I will. Talk to you later, mom. I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye."

Colby hung up the phone and practically ran back to her room. When she walked in, she saw Randy staring at his phone, chuckling.

"What's so funny?" she asked, sitting beside him.

"Just this text message that John sent me. It's one of those forwards, ya know?"

"Yeah, I get those all of the time from my friends. What's that one say?"

"It's pretty inappropriate," Randy warned as she gave him a look to say that she really didn't give a damn. "Okay, it says: Dicks, eggs, wife & blowjob. Which word doesn't belong? You can beat you dick, eggs, and even beat your wife. But u sure can't beat a blowjob."

Colby shook her head and smiled. "Typical guy shit. I think Elijah actually sent that one to me one time," she said before hanging her head at thought of her boyfriend.

"So, uh," Randy stuttered, searching for something to get rid of the uncomfortable silence. "Where'd you go?"

"Oh, I went to call my mom and ask for a favor. I was wondering since, I couldn't come to your place for Christmas, if you would like to come to mine," she asked, cautiously.

"Really?" he asked, somewhat surprised. "Your mom's gonna let me come spend Christmas with you and your family?"

"You and John, if he wants to," she replied, a smile planted firmly on her lips.

"I'll make him come. Tell your mom we'll be there," Randy said, giving her his own smile before enveloping her in a hug. "Thank you, Colby."

"No problem, Randy. Everyone deserves to have a Christmas dinner," she said, repeating the words she had just spoken to her mother moments before. "I do have to warn you though. These last couple of years, it's been a tradition to spend Christmas Eve with Elijah's family."

Randy swallowed hard as he rested his head on her shoulder. "That's okay. Anything is better than spending Christmas with Cena."

"Now that's no way to talk about your best friend," Colby smiled, pulling away from Randy. "Speaking of best friends, you'll have to meet Lauren. When her and I get together, all hell breaks loose."

"Really? I wouldn't peg you for a hell raiser?" Randy arched an eyebrow her way.

"We're up there with the best of them. You just wait and see."

They stayed silent for a few minutes after that, just watching TV and enjoying each other's company. And before long, Randy yawned and stretched his long limbs. "Damn, that playing in the snow shit wore me out."

"You're kidding me right?" Colby asked, looking from the TV to him.

"No, I'm not," he laughed. "So what's going to be the bed situation tonight since it's so cold? Should we just start out separate and you end up on my mattress or just skip the hassle and start out together?"

Colby couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you trying to get me in your bed, Mr. Orton?"

Randy smiled sheepishly at her. "That's not what I meant and you know it. I just wanted to make sure that we are both warm. No harm in that is there?"

"No, I guess not," she sighed. "But you better not hog all of the blankets or I'm going to be angry."

Normally, someone offering to share a bed with Colby would seem completely and utterly weird but for some odd reason, like everything else he did, Randy's intentions seemed honest and innocent. She trusted him just as much as her best friend and right at that point in her life, that's just what the doctor ordered.

* * *

**Woohoo! Ten reviews last chapter! Awesome job guys! Thanks to giftiebee, pinkshadow89, techwiz, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, CapriceCC, babyxbxgurl, xxwithlovexx, Chenai, jada951 and RKOFan14 for reviewing! I love you guys and don't forget to review this chapter also!**


	10. Goodbye For Now

Chapter Ten: Goodbye For Now

Two more days had come and gone before the roads were clear enough for Randy and Colby to head home. It was almost like a sadness had fallen on the room after Colby had seen the snow plows out on the roads from the window the day before. Neither of them spoke much. They just kept to themselves and thought about their separate drives home.

Randy gave the room another once over to make sure he had everything before grabbing his duffel, throwing it over his shoulder and heading downstairs. He braced himself as he entered the cold, blustery air and toward his truck. He unlocked and opened the door before pitching the duffel bag into the backseat. But as he began to close the door, something poking out between the driver's seat and the center console caught his eye.

His wallet.

Randy smiled for the first time in hours. It was because he thought he lost his wallet that Colby offered for him to stay with her. If it wasn't for him 'losing' his wallet, he would have spent the past five days in a hotel all by himself. It was like meeting Colby was his fate; his destiny.

Randy pocketed the wallet and headed back up to Colby's room.

* * *

Colby sat on her bed as she looked around the room, making sure everything was in order for the winter inspection. As her eyes drifted toward the window, an overwhelming sense of hate came over her. She hated the fact that she and Randy were going their separate ways, even if it was only for a couple of days.

She hated that for the majority of the time he was there, she was whining and crying about her boyfriend problems.

She hated that this 'relationship' with Randy probably wouldn't even last past Christmas night. And that was only if he decided to show up.

What made her even begin to consider that this amazing specimen of a man would want to even toy with the possibility of having some type of friendship with a normal, everyday eighteen year old?

"Hey, Colby. I got some good news," Randy said, walking into the room.

She turned to look at him, placing a fake smile on her face. "What's that?"

"I found my wallet. I guess it must've fallen out of my pocket at some point in time."

"So, if you would've looked around for it, you would've stayed at the hotel?"

"Yeah, but I'm glad I didn't," he smiled, sitting beside her. "Where's your car at?"

"My truck is over in Q parking lot."

Randy raised his eyebrows at her. "You drive a truck?"

"Yeah, just a little Ford Ranger, but a truck nonetheless. I never was one for conventional girly cars. That is until I realized that I couldn't haul my friends around in it comfortably."

"I'm sure that doesn't handle worth shit in the snow."

"Not the best, but I've had it since I was sixteen. I'm sure I'll be fine."

'That's not a chance I'm willing to take. You're riding home with me."

"Really?" Colby inquired, cocking an eyebrow. "You going to make me?"

"If I have to," Randy said in all seriousness. "I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you all the way down there. Do you really want that?"

"You wouldn't dare," she challenged him.

"Yeah, you're right," Randy nodded, picking up her bags. "I'm going to take your stuff down to my truck and then I'll take you to yours."

After a couple of trips up and down the stairs, Colby and Randy were ready to leave.

"So, which way is your truck?" he asked, once they got to the main road.

"Take a left."

"Okay," Randy said, but instead of taking a left, he took a right. "One thing you should know about me by now, Colby, is I always get my way."

Colby just stared at him and shook her head. "You're unbelievable."

"Yeah, I know," he smiled.

Randy pulled into a gas station to fill the truck up and soon they were on their way.

"What's your mom fixing for Christmas dinner?" Randy asked once they were out on the highway.

"Probably enough food for an army. Of course, anything will be better than those subs we've been eating."

"Yeah, no shit. I can't remember the last time I had a home cooked meal," Randy said, dreamily.

"Well, you're in for a treat. My mom is one of the best cooks in town. That might not mean much considering we only have about five hundred people, but one of the best nonetheless."

"You're kidding me right? Five hundred people?"

"You bet. We have a grocery store, a gas station and an ice cream parlor. Oh, and we do have an elementary school. One of, if not the best, in the district."

Randy smiled at how Colby's blue gray eyes lit up while she talked about her hometown. "And what is this wonderful place called?"

"Murrayville. It's about two miles south of Woodson that is another big city of about three hundred people."

"Do you guys have a Wal-Mart or anything?"

"Yeah, about ten miles north of us, in Jacksonville."

Randy just nodded but he was kind of tired of listening about the town life. "So, what'd you do in high school?"

"I was in band all four years; marching and symphonic band, so I did have to wear those goofy looking uniforms with the feathers sticking out of the hat," she laughed to herself as she stared out of the window at the tremendous amounts of snow. "And my freshman year, I was on the softball team…"

"I'm guessing that would be where your great aim came into play when you hit me in the face with that snowball," Randy interrupted.

"I guess so. I had played since I was around eight or so and used to be really good. But when I got into high school, the coaches sucked. They made it so it wasn't fun for me anymore. Not to mention the JV coach looked like a brown leather handbag."

Randy looked at her, not sure what she meant by that.

"She tanned too much," Colby clarified. "Seriously, she was like as dark as Gabrielle Union and she would wear this insanely bright silver eyeshadow and lipstick…not that you want to hear about that. Long story short, she was overly fried and dyed," she finished looking from the road ahead of them to Randy's face.

He was shaking his head and chuckling slightly. "You weren't one of those obnoxious gossip queens were you?"

"Oh, hell no! Me and my friends just knew how to have a good time at other peoples' expense," she laughed along with him. "Don't tell me you've never done that."

"Me? Make fun of someone? Never," Randy said, giving her his world famous smirk.

It was a little over an hour before they reached the town of Jacksonville and it was there that Colby showed Randy where she worked when she was home, at the clothing store Goody's. From there, she directed him across town and to the highway which they followed to get to her hometown of Murrayville.

He pulled onto the first street of the small town and pulled into the driveway in which Colby directed him toward. He pulled up to the modest one story house. They both got out of the truck and Randy helped bring her luggage up to the front door. As Colby put the key in the lock and turned the doorknob, Randy heard two deep barks sound from inside the house.

Colby noticed the hesitant expression on Randy's face and smiled. "It's okay, they'll probably just lick you to death nothing more." She opened the door and was immediately mauled by two dogs, but the attention wasn't on her for long once the two canines noticed a new and unusual presence. "Mimi! Betsie! Get down!" Colby yelled pulling the dogs off of Randy who had since been backed into the corner in hopes of shielding himself from the oncoming attack.

She disappeared into the next room with the dogs, allowing Randy to catch his breath. A few seconds later, she came back with a smile on her face. "Don't worry, they're outside now."

"I thought you said they'd lick me to death, not maul me."

"I said probably."

"What kind of dogs are those? I've never seen them before."

"And you'll probably never see anymore like them. We adopted them from the animal shelter in Springfield. Betsie, the big black and white one, was found with the rest of the litter in a bucket in the middle of a field. We think she's part pit bull and cattle dog. Mimi, however, was supposed to be an itty bitty dog, you know, like the ones people carry in their purses and whatnot. Well, obviously that's not the case. She can clear a six foot fence if she wanted to with those legs. We have no clue what the hell she is. And she's ornery as hell, so needless to say she's my dog."

Randy nodded and brushed the dog hair off his hoodie, still recovering from the attack. "Is your family home?"

"I guess not, but don't worry. You'll meet them soon enough."

Randy nodded once again, letting out a long sigh. "I hate to do this, but I should probably head home and make sure John has completely trashed my house."

Colby walked past him and opened the door back up. "All you need to do to get to the interstate is go out onto the road that we turned off of and follow it all the way through town and in about three or four miles you'll run into the interstate."

As Randy turned to walk out the door, he paused and looked back at Colby. "Shouldn't I have your phone number? Just in case something should come up?"

"Sure," Colby replied motioning for him to hand over his phone. She added her number to his phone book and handed it back to him. "Have a safe drive home."

"I will," Randy said before pulling the gray eyed beauty in for a hug. "I'll see you Christmas Eve."

And with that he walked out the door. Colby closed it behind him and walked to the bay window, watching as he climbed into his truck. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes. She had gotten so used to Randy's presence over the last six days, it was almost too much for her to bear. But she had to look on the brighter side. It was only goodbye for now.

* * *

**Thanks to giftiebee, babyxbxgurl, techwiz, pinkshadow89, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, jada951 and Recco101 for the reviews for chapter nine. **

**I know not a lot happened in this chapter but I think I needed to give a little bit more out on Colby's background and I thought that this was a good opportunity to do this. **

**I can't really promise when I'm going to be able to get another update out. I'm going to start a new job over here tomorrow and on top of that I'm sick and have been since Sunday. But until then, please review and I'll try to update as soon as I can.**


	11. Something Like You

Chapter Eleven: Something Like You

Randy followed Colby's directions and soon found his way to the interstate. He paid attention to everything he was passing so he would know his way back when he returned in just a few days. But as the scenery began to get more and more familiar to him, Randy began to get bored. That's when he saw something glimmering out of the corner of his eye.

He looked over in the passenger seat and saw a CD and couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. He reached over and grabbed it, noticing there was a note written on it: Just something to remember me by. Randy smiled and slipped it into the CD player.

For the rest of the ride home, Randy listened to songs that he would never be able to admit to the guys in the locker room and some that he would never expect a girl like Colby to listen to. Everything from the Backstreet Boys and N'SYNC to Disturbed and My Chemical Romance to Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. Hell, she even through in a Beatles' song.

As he entered St. Louis, Randy made a quick call to John to meet him at the Enterprise closest to his house and pick him up. John seemed to have timed it just right because as soon as Randy was handing in the rental keys, he pulled into the Enterprise parking lot.

John got out and was just about to toss Randy the keys to his Escalade when Randy held up a hand. "I'm done driving," he said and got in the passenger's seat."

John just shrugged and climbed back in the driver's seat. "What's that?" he asked, indicating the CD in Randy's hand.

"Colby made me it for me. Nothing you would like," Randy answered, leaning his head against the headrest and closing his eyes.

"I might. You never know."

"I know you won't, Cena. Shut up about it."

John snatched the CD from Randy's hand before putting it in the CD player. Randy's face had become beet red and his eyes wide. If this CD was played, Randy would never hear the end of it. The whole locker room would hear about it in a matter of hours and they weren't even on the road.

He reached up to eject the CD, but John pushed his hand away. "Is it really that embarrassing?"

"You have no idea," Randy muttered before looking out the window.

_They're gonna clean up your looks with all the lies and the books to make a citizen out of you because they sleep with a gun and keep an eye on you, son, so they can watch all the things you do._

"My Chemical Romance? That's not bad," John said before skipping to the next song.

The introduction to "Life is a Highway" began to play and Cena smiled, looking over at Randy who avoided eye contact. "Hey, everyone and their dog loved the movie _Cars_."

_I'm bringing sexy back. Them other boys don't know how to act. I think you're special, what's behind your back? So turn around and I'll pick up the slack_

John shrugged a little bit. "Justin Timberlake ain't bad. Just about everyone loves that guy. Now if he was with his little boy band, THAT wouldn't be so cool."

Randy inwardly groaned. He knew it was only a matter of time before John got to the NSYNC song on the CD. The drive to his house had never seemed so long in his life.

"Will you please stop, Cena?"

At that point, John knew he had his friend backed into a corner and couldn't help but smile like the Cheshire Cat. "Just one more."

Randy breathed a sigh of relief. There were seventeen other songs on the CD. What were the odds that John chose number fourteen, the NSYNC song? Randy stared intently at the numbers indicating the song as john skipped through the CD.

John, however, was glancing over at his friend out of the corner of his eyes in between watching the road and the numbers. He noticed the dramatic cringe as he hit song fourteen and stopped.

"This one sounds good," John lied as the musical stylings of a harmonica floated through the car.

_So many times I thought I held it in my hand but just like grains of sand, love slipped through my fingers_

John looked over at Randy whose face could've doubled for a stoplight. "There aren't words," he said, before bursting into laughter.

* * *

**Saturday, December 22**

"So, Colby, you going to tell me what this Randy Orton guy's like?" Lauren asked her as they stood up at the cash register at Goody's.

Colby's face turned a bright pink as she smiled shyly to her friend. "He's a good guy. Very sweet and respectful. Basically everything that I want in a guy."

"So, why don't you go for him?"

"Because, Laurie, I'm with Elijah and I love him. Plus he's like ten years older than me."

Lauren just rolled her eyes before walking behind her register and helping the next customer.

Colby sighed as she grabbed the returns from her counter and began to take them back. Ever since she had been home, Randy had been occupying her mind day in and day out, but she had only heard from him once and that was just a text letting her know that he was home. What if he had changed his mind? Was the CD thing a bad idea? He didn't even say thank you or anything.

She hung up the last of her returns in the juniors' department and walked back up to the register, her feet killing her from the new policy that her manager had instilled since she had been gone to school: heels only, at least for the girls. Being a short girl, Colby loved wearing heels, but wearing them while standing at a cash register for six hours? Not so great.

Once she was behind the register, she slipped her feet out of the brown pointy toed heels and stood in her bare feet. She breathed a sigh of relief as her feet fell flat on the mat below her feet.

"This is ridiculous," Colby told Lauren at the next register. "No woman is able to wear these damn things all day unless they're made with Barbie feet."

"I know, but you know Vonnie, she has to have everything completely professional."

"I guess she made a mistake hiring us then, huh?"

"You bet."

"Excuse me miss," a voice said from behind her. "I was wondering if I could have the corporate number so I could complain about how my cashier doesn't wear any shoes."

Colby turned around to see the smiling faces of Randy Orton and John Cena. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't supposed to be here until Monday."

"Surprise," Randy shrugged as she walked around to him and gave him a hug. "And this is John. John this is Colby Taylor. She more or less saved my life."

"Damn," John said, shaking his head. "I was hoping to get this fucker's Playstation 3," he joked. "Nice to meet you, Colby."

"It's nice to meet you, too, John. And this," she said, waving Lauren over, "this is my best friend Lauren. Lauren this is Randy and John."

"Nice to meet you two," Lauren smiled as a woman came up to the cash register. "I'll let you talk. Just don't let the Vonster catch you."

"So, what time do you get off?" Randy asked her.

"In about an hour."

"Awesome. We'll just stick around until you're ready to go. What kind of clothes do you sell here?"

"Nothing you would buy I'm sure. We do have some nice polos and button up shirts, but they're not like big name brands."

"We'll check it out," Randy winked at her as he and John walked off.

"Damn, Colby, you were right," Lauren smiled at him. "He is a lot hotter in person."

"I never told you that," Colby said, slipping her heels back on.

"Yeah, you did. When I talked to you on the internet that one night."

"I swear, Lauren. I never talked to you on the internet," she said and then turned to the elderly woman that was waiting in line. "Hello, did you find everything okay?"

"Yes, I did, thank you. And a young man in the back asked me to give this to you," the woman said and handed a piece of paper to Colby.

"Thank you."

After checking the woman out, Colby looked down at the piece of paper. "I can't believe that something like you could happen to me."

* * *

**I want to thank babyxbxgurl, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, techwiz, JessieStarr, giftiebee, jada951, CapriceCC and Recco101 for the reviews. **

**And just in case you wanted to know, here's the tracklisting for Colby's CD:**

"**Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance**

"**Life Is A Highway" by Rascal Flatts**

"**Sexyback" by Justin Timberlake**

"**My Vietnam" by Pink**

"**Unmistakable" by Backstreet Boys**

"**Rooftops" by Lostprophets**

"**Teardrops on My Guitar" by Taylor Swift**

"**Hang Me Up To Dry" by Cold War Kids**

"**You Know I'm No Good" by Amy Winehouse**

"**Low" by Flo Rida**

"**I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles**

"**So Small" by Carrie Underwood**

"**Over My Head" by The Fray**

"**Something Like You" by NSYNC**

"**Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley**

"**Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N Roses**

"**Nothin' To Lose" by Josh Gracin**

"**Apologize" by OneRepublic**

"**Down With the Sickness" by Disturbed**

"**Umbrella by Rihanna feat. Jay-Z**


	12. Guitar Hero and Late Night Conversations

Chapter Twelve: Guitar Hero and a Late Night Conversation

A short while later, Colby met Randy and John at the front of the store and after saying goodbye to Lauren, the trio made their way to Randy's Escalade. And after a short dispute between Randy and John, Colby climbed into the passenger seat while John unwillingly made his way to the back in the seat directly behind Colby.

"I wasn't sure if you were coming," Colby said as Randy pulled out of the parking lot. "I hadn't heard from you at all."

"Yeah," Randy replied, glancing in the rearview mirror at John. "I had a house to put back together when I got home."

"Hey," John protested. "It wasn't my fault that you have a hyperactive blender that doesn't know when to shut off. Before I knew it, that margarita mix was everywhere."

"And you just left it, Cena! You could've at least cleaned it up when it happened instead of leaving it there for me to clean up when I got home. Not to mention all of the empty pizza boxes lying around everywhere. I seriously don't know how you stay in shape when you go through fifteen pizzas a week."

Colby just stared out the window with a smile on her face. "How did you know I was at work?"

"I stopped by your house before I came here and talked to your mom."

"You talked to my mom?"

"Yeah, she seems like a really nice lady."

"Plus she said we were having homemade pizza for dinner tonight," John spoke up.

"Is that all you ever think about, Cena? Food?"

"No, I think about alcohol, too. Does your dad drink, Colby?"

"Sometimes," she answered.

"Coors Light?"

"Miller Genuine Draft."

"Blech."

"Try your best to ignore him," Randy told her, flashing her a smile. 

The rest of the ride to Colby's house was a pretty enjoyable one, at least in Colby's eyes. She loved the banter that John and Randy exchanged and in a way, it reminded her of the kind of friendship that her and Lauren had. 

When the trio walked in the house, they were greeted by the pleasant aroma of homemade pizza followed by Colby's mother. 

"The pizza should be done in just a few minutes," Ann told them. 

"Good, 'cuz I'm starving," John replied, rubbing his stomach. 

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Randy muttered. 

Colby laughed at the interaction between the two before turning back to her mom. "When's dad coming home?"

"He should be home tomorrow afternoon."

Colby nodded before taking a seat on the couch and motioning for John and Randy to do the same. Randy sat next to her as John chose to sit in the plush recliner, making himself at home. Colby looked around the room, realizing that they hadn't been bombarded by the dogs when they walked in. "Mom, where are Mimi and Betsie?"

"You're sister thought it was a bright idea to take them for a walk."

"Both of those monsters?" Randy questioned. "That one's like a deer and the other is like…"

"A pig?" Colby finished, causing John and Randy to laugh. "Does she realize that it's only like five degrees?"

"That's what I told her, but you know Allyson; once she has something in her head, she's bound and determined to do it."

At that moment, the front door flung open and in walked a girl, probably about thirteen, Randy guessed, with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He didn't have much time to look though because, before he knew it, he was being attacked by 'monsters'. 

"Mimi! Betsie! Get off of him!" Ann yelled, pulling the dogs off by their collars. 

"That's what I had to deal with the whole time I was walking them," Allyson said angrily, pointing at the dogs.

"It was your smart idea, Albert," Colby said, smiling.

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Whatever you say, Alfred."

"Mom!"

"Colby, knock it off. Do you two ever quit?" Ann asked, clearly frustrated with the behavior of her daughters. "You've been home three days and all you and Allyson have done is bicker back and forth and I'm tired of it."

"Alright, ma. I'll quit. Chill out," Colby said, trying not to laugh as Ann walked into the kitchen. "Randy, John, this is my sister Allyson. Allyson, this is John Cena and Randy Orton."

"You were in the Subway commercial with that Jared guy, weren't you?" Allyson asked, looking at John.

"Why, yes, I was little lady," he said, grinning up at her.

"Oh. Well, it was really annoying how you kept arguing 'more meat' at him. I had to change the channel," she said before walking off down the hall.

"Yeah, Cena likes all the meat he can get," Randy laughed as John flipped him off. "Hey, it's not my fault that you just got told off by a thirteen year old."

"You guys are ridiculous," Colby muttered as her mother walked back in the room.

"The pizza is ready. Come help yourselves."

John wasted no time in jumping up and getting himself a plateful. Randy and Colby shook their heads as they made their way to get their own dinner.

* * *

After dinner and dishes, which Randy and John graciously helped Colby do, the trio made their way back to Colby's room. As soon as they walked in, John noticed a red and black plastic guitar adorned with stickers. 

"You play _Guitar Hero_?" he asked, picking up the guitar.

"Hell yeah, I do. It's one of the best games ever. And I'm pretty damn good, if I do say so myself."

"Really?" John asked, raising his eyebrows. "I bet you twenty bucks you can't beat me."

"You're on," Colby said with a sly smile. 

"Are you sure you want to do tat, Colby? John's really good," Randy said as he laid back on her bed.

"No faith," she said, walking to over to her closet and pulling out a black guitar to the game. "Since you are a guest in my house, John, I'll let you pick the song that we duke it out on."

"You got all of the games?" he asked and she nodded. "Okay, I pick 'Freebird'," he said, hoping the song would intimidate her, but she didn't let the smile leave her face. 

They waited for the game to load and Randy watched with anticipation. Only on person had been able to beat John on _Guitar Hero_ and that was Jeff Hardy and even then it was only by a small margin. He noticed that John had chosen Expert difficulty but it still didn't seem to faze Colby. In fact, she looked rather confidant.

"This is your last chance to back out and just give me the twenty bucks," John told her as the loading screen to "Freebird" popped up. 

"Are you sure you're the one that should be saying that? Maybe you should back out. You wouldn't want it to get out that you got beat by a girl."

"In your dreams, Colby," John smiled as they began to play. 

Randy watched them throughout the song that seemed to last forever. They both were doing really good, keeping just about the same score nearly the whole time. That was until the very end when John missed a line of notes and Colby pulled ahead, but John wasn't going to have any of that. He reached over and pushed the neck of her guitar out of her hand at the very end, causing her to miss a couple more notes than him and for him to pick up the winning score.

Colby put down her guitar and stared at John in disbelief. "You're an asshole AND a coward. You were afraid I was going to beat you. And you can forget your twenty bucks," she said and walked out of the room. 

"No one's ever called me a coward before," John pouted to Randy. 

Randy just shrugged his shoulders. "There's a first time for everything. I've never seen you cheat before, but you did. But, all that aside, you know she would've won."

"Your point?" John questioned, bitterly. 

"I think she's ready for Hardy."

* * *

Later that night, Randy was restless as he laid on the air mattress in the living room. He didn't know why he couldn't sleep. Maybe it was because he was in a new place, but that wouldn't really make sense. After all, he was used to being in a new hotel room every night.

Or maybe it was because he knew that Colby was right down the hall from him, probably off in her own little dreamland. He sighed and turned to the still figure on the couch. 

"Cena! You awake?" Randy whispered loudly. But all he received in response was a loud snore.

He had just made the decision to give sleeping another try when he heard a door open down the hallway and soon saw Colby tip-toeing into the kitchen. He slowly got off the mattress and followed her in to see her looking through the refrigerator.

"Midnight snack?" he asked her, startling her and causing her to lean up and smack her head on the ceiling of the fridge. "Oh, sorry," he cringed, pulling her into a hug and placing a kiss on top of her head. "Better?"

"Yeah, you scared me," she chuckled a little. "I didn't expect anyone to be awake."

"Well, I couldn't sleep."

"Is the mattress not comfortable enough? If it isn't, I can sleep on it and you can have my bed."

"No, no. It's comfortable. I'm just not tired."

"Me neither. Whenever I'm home, I always feel like I have to stay up until insane hours."

"Do you mind if I join you? At least you wouldn't be up by yourself. We could talk and stuff."

"I'd like that. Would you like a beer or something?"

"You drink?"

"Every once in a while. I don't get crazy or anything, just an occasional beer every now and then," she said and pulled out two bottles and handing him one.

"Your mom doesn't care?"

"She would rather have me do it here than anywhere else. Come on," she told him as they walked back to her room. They went back and sat on her bed, Randy at the foot of the bed and Colby at the head. They were quiet for a moment, neither one really knowing what to say.

"You know," Randy finally began after taking a drink of his beer. "I never thought in a million years that I would be sitting her across from an eighteen year old, thinking that she could possibly be the best friend I've ever had, especially after only knowing her for a week."

Colby tilted her head to the right and looked at him. "You really think that?"

"I do, but I don't know how to explain it. There's just something about you that is captivating."

She blushed before taking a drink. "Thanks, I guess. You're not so bad yourself. Although I feel like I've explained everything about me to you, but you haven't really told me anything about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know," she laughed. "What's your favorite movie?"

"I don't really have time to watch movies. I'm always on the road."

"Come on, you can't tell me that you haven't watched at least one movie within the last year or so."

Randy shook his head. "I…I really don't know."

"Well, we'll have to fix that. I'm a movie addict."

"Maybe you can show me some good movies while I'm here," Randy replied, taking another drink before changing the subject. "So, uh, what am I supposed to expect when your dad gets here tomorrow?"

"He might seem a little intimidating at first. He's very…forward and upfront, but don't worry about it. He's not as bad as he seems," she said looking down at her hands. "What was it like for you? Growing up with your dad being a wrestler?"

"It was…bittersweet. Every once in a while, he would bring home a bunch of the big names over for dinner and here they are, these massive guys sitting around my dinner table," he recalled, his eyes lighting up and a smile spreading across his face. "It was when I saw those guys that I really thought that I could do that. But then again, Dad was gone a lot leaving just me, my brother and sister and my mom. It was tough on all of us."

"Yeah, I know how that is."

They fell into another silence, but it was anything but uncomfortable. Randy made his way up to the head of the bed and sat beside Colby, resting his arm around her shoulders. "Your friend Lauren, what's she like?"

"Why? You interested? Sorry, she's taken."

"No," Randy laughed. He wasn't interested in anyone but Colby. "Just making conversation."

"I'll put it this way. Lauren and I have a relationship much like yours and John's. We're constantly going at each other, but we know that we're just playing, ya know. But she's fun. She's like my sister from a different mister. We've been best friends since we were five years old and I don't see us losing contact anytime soon."

"That's a long time. So, you say she's taken?"

"She's actually engaged."

"Wow."

"Yeah, she and Brandon have been together for going on four years. They started off kind of rocky, but they worked it out."

"What about you and Elijah? Have you worked stuff out?" Randy asked before he could stop himself.

She sighed, leaning back against his shoulder. "No. I haven't talked to him since that night that you overheard us arguing. He hasn't even called to make sure that I got home okay."

"I know I don't have the right to say this but I don't think he's that good for you."

She didn't reply but rather moved on in the conversation. "What about you? You ever been in love?"

"Once. At least I thought I was," he said, seeming to find his beer bottle rather interesting. 

"What was her name?"

"Erica."

"What happened?"

"The usual. I fell madly in love with her; she never stopped loving her ex. She left me for him the night I was going to ask her to marry me. That was three years ago and I haven't dated anyone since."

"I'm sorry, Randy. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay. It feels kind of good to talk about it."

Colby and Randy talked for quite a while longer. They even saw the sun rise, glistening off the blanket of snow.

"I can't believe you popped out of a cake on national television," Colby laughed as Randy finished telling her about how he broke away from Evolution.

"Yeah, that was pretty fun. That's when I broke Batista's nose."

"You consider breaking someone's nose fun?"

"No, I meant popping out of the cake was fun," he laughed along with her. "But as sad as I am to say this, we need to get to bed."

Colby looked at the clock next to her bed. 6:23 A.M. "Yeah, probably."

"Do you have to work today?"

"Nope, I have it off."

"Good," Randy said, getting up out of bed and picking up the empty beer bottles. As he walked toward the door, it opened on its own, revealing a rather large burly man. Randy turned and looked at Colby who had a look of shock on her face. 

"Dad."

* * *

**Thanks to giftiebee, techwiz, Laffy.x.Taffy, jada951, CapriceCC, Spunky-hyper-girl, babyxbxgurl, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, Fozzy-Floozy, pinkshadow89, kimgray, and OrtonCenaHardyChick for reviewing chapter eleven. And also thanks to Vera Roberts who went back and reviewed chapters six and seven! Wow, guys, you're amazing for all of these reviews! I love that you love this story! So, don't forget to review this chapter, too. **


	13. Dad, Cookies and Kool Aid

Chapter Thirteen: Dad, Cookies and Kool-Aid

"Do you have to work today?" he asked her.

"Nope, I have it off."

"Good," Randy said, getting up out of bed and picking up the empty beer bottles. As he walked toward the door, it opened on its own, revealing a rather large, burly man. Randy turned and looked at Colby who had a look of shock on her face.

"Dad," Colby said, surprised. "I thought you weren't supposed to be home until this afternoon."

"My load got cancelled so I came home early," his deep, booming voice answered as he never took his eyes off of Randy. "What's going on here?"

"Randy and I were just talking, Dad. Neither one of us could sleep," she said, getting up from the bed and standing next to the WWE Champion.

"What's with the beer bottles?"

"They're mine, sir. Colby was nice enough to offer me something to drink," Randy spoke for the first time.

"Alright, well, you two get to bed. We'll talk more later," her dad said as he walked down the hall.

Randy turned to Colby and let out a breath that he hadn't even realized he had been holding before leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. "Good night. Or rather good morning. Get some sleep," he said before walking into the living room.

* * *

"Hey, Orton, wake up, man."

Randy slowly opened his eyes to see John just inches away from his face. He backed up quickly with a scowl before pulling the blanket over his head. "Leave me alone, Cena."

"Dude, it's ten o'clock."

"Dude," Randy said, mocking him. "I didn't get to sleep until around seven. Now leave me the fuck alone."

"Fine, man, but it's just you me and Colby here and she wants to bake cookies," John said before walking into the kitchen.

Randy sighed into the pillow. He knew that before long he would hear Colby's laugh coming from the kitchen and knowing that John, and not him, would be causing it, would be enough to drive Randy certifiably insane. He groaned as he got off of the air mattress and made his way to join John and Colby.

As soon as he walked in, Colby looked up and smiled sweetly. "Hey, sleepyhead."

"How in the hell are you so bright and cheery?" he asked, leaning against the counter.

"Three cans of Red Bull and an ice cold shower," she told him before going to the fridge and pulling out a Red Bull for him. "We're making Christmas cookies. Wanna help?"

"Sure, why not," he replied, taking the energy drink from her.

"Okay, I already have a batch in the oven. Once those get done, we can decorate them and start a new batch."

"So, what are the plans for today?" John asked as he dipped his finger in the frosting only to have Randy take it away.

"Not much. Probably just hang around the house. Is that alright?" Colby answered.

"Actually," Randy spoke up. "I was hoping you'd want to show us around town."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "We have a gas station, a grocery store and an ice cream shop. There's not much to show you."

"So," Randy grinned, taking a drink of his Red Bull. "Please."

Colby looked from Randy to John who both had their bottom lip out and rolled her eyes. "Okay, but I'm telling you now, it's pretty boring."

Randy smiled even wider. "With me around, nothing's boring."

About ten minutes later, the three found themselves decorating cookies and talking about their families.

"Do you and Lauren do anything together for Christmas?" John asked her as he began decorating a gingerbread man.

"We usually buy each other gifts but I think this year we're just going out to eat and maybe go to the mall," she replied then stopped the decoration of her star and looked up at Randy. "I forgot to ask you last night when we were talking about Lauren. She said something to me yesterday about talking to me on the internet while we were at my dorm and you were there, but I never did. You know anything about that?"

Randy's cheeks turned a bright crimson as he realized that he had been caught. "Yeah, I talked to her that Sunday night after you laid down. And I kind of posed as you."

"It's not a big deal, Randy," Colby smiled. "I just find it a little self-absorbed that you agreed with her when she said you were hot."

"Hey, I can't deny the obvious," he smirked down at her as John just rolled his eyes.

"Orton, I'm surprised your damn head can fit the door it's so big," John told him.

"Cena, you act like you aren't full of yourself at all. Who, when he was champion, walked into every room and said "The Champ is Here" like your presence was really so important that you needed to not only announce it to everyone in the room but also rub it in all the guys' faces that you were the champion?" Randy asked, before going back to decorating his snowman. "I'm surprised that your head can fit in an arena much less through the door."

"Alright, guys. That's quite enough," Colby chuckled before a comfortable silence fell over the trio as they continued to decorate.

"This is a masterpiece," John spoke, holding up his gingerbread man.

Colby tried to contain her laughter as she looked at the cookie. John had managed to decorate it the best he could to make it look like himself. A little bit of brown icing for the hair and definition of the muscles and blue for the eyes and blue jean shorts.

"What's that yellow thing around its waist, Cena?" Randy asked, smiling.

"It's my championship belt that I'm going to get back," he said smugly, setting the cookie down on the counter.

Randy glanced over at Colby and gave her a small wink before he grabbed John's cookie from in front of him and broke it in half. "Now that, that is a masterpiece," Randy joked before biting the head of the cookie.

"Dude, that's so not cool!" John whined, standing up from the stool he had been sitting on. And before Colby knew it, the two men were having a wrestling match right in the middle of her kitchen, but rather than stop it, she hoisted herself up onto the counter and continued to decorate while watching in amusement.

"Tap, Cena!" Randy yelled as he had John in his traditional headlock. John's face was turning a dark red, almost a purple before Randy finally let go.

The wrestlers pulled themselves off the floor, both out of breath before they continued at the task at hand. A few hours later, they had baked and decorated three dozen cookies and were getting ready to leave so that Colby could show them around town.

"Can I have shotgun this time?" John asked Randy as they walked outside into the subzero weather. "It's the least you could do for trying to choke me to death."

"No," Randy shook his head. "I get shotgun. Colby's going to drive," he said, tossing the keys to his Escalade to her.

"Oh no," Colby said, holding the keys out to him. "I don't drive other people's cars."

"What's the big deal?" Randy asked, opening the passenger side door.

"I don't have a very good track record. Just please, take the keys, Randy."

"What better way to show us around town than to show us all the little side streets and everything?"

"There are no little side streets! Everything is right in the middle of town!"

Randy just shrugged and got into the passenger seat and it was then that Colby knew she had lost the argument. She sighed before climbing into the driver's seat and backing out of the driveway.

"OH MY GOD!!" John yelled from the back seat and Colby slammed on the brakes.

"What?! I told you this wasn't a good idea, Randy!" she said beginning to get out of the car, but stopped once John began laughing. She sat back in the seat and let out another deep sigh as Randy reached into the back seat and smacked John upside the head.

"What the fuck are you thinking, Cena?" Randy questioned, seeing the stressed expression on Colby's face.

"I was just joking, man. Fuck. Lighten up."

"How about I fucking light you up, you dumb son of a bitch?"

"Guys, knock it off," Colby said before continuing to back out and drive around town. It didn't take even an hour for her to show them her hometown. By the time they back, Colby's parents had also returned from their last minute Christmas shopping.

They walked into the house and Colby excused herself to take another shower. As she disappeared down the hall to the bathroom, Randy greeted her dad and introduced him to John. With a smile and a handshake for John, Mr. Taylor instructed the wrestlers to call him Mark. After talking with Mark about the wrestling business, which the two friends found out that he had been watching for many years and had known of Randy's dad, Ann called out from the kitchen.

"Randy, honey, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Randy excused himself from the conversation and headed into the kitchen. "You wanted to talk to me, Mrs. Taylor?"

"Please, call me Ann, Randy. And yes, I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Colby," she smiled at him. "Please believe me when I say that I haven't seen her this happy in a long time. This past week and a half or so, I've noticed a tremendous change in her and I'm pretty sure that's because of you."

"Well, Mrs…Ann, I also have tot tell you that Colby has really made an impact on my life as well. She's a great girl and I hope she does well in her life."

"I know she will. She just has to get rid of all the things that are weighing her down."

Randy immediately knew who Ann was talking about and was about to say something else when he felt a light sprinkling of water on his arm. He looked next to him to see Colby standing there, wet hair and all. He smiled and wiped off his arm just in time for her to whip her hair around and get him wet again.

"That's not very nice," he told her.

She just grinned back at him and gave him a hug. He held onto her tightly as a sweet aroma bombarded his senses.

"You smell like…I don't know how to describe it," he told her once he pulled away.

"Green kool-aid?"

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would be a good way to put it. Is that what your soap or body wash is?"

"Actually, it's lemon lime but I figured out when I opened it today that I was going to smell like the big, red Kool-aid man."

The two helped Ann with dinner for awhile before John walked in. He stopped in the doorway and sniffed around.

"Who's making kool-aid?"

* * *

**Ok, so again not a lot happened during this chapter except that John got his "head" bit off but lately I've been kind of stressed and needed to write something that had absolutely no drama in it and was just kind of a "feel-good" chapter. Hope you all liked it. **

**Thanks to xxHungryEyesxx, babyxbxgurl, techwiz, giftiebee, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, CapriceCC, cassymae, Alkira Sonoma, kimgray and Recco101 for reviewing chapter 12. **

**And a VERY special thank you goes out to Caged Sparkle Black for going through this whole story and reviewing EVERY single chapter!! You are amazing!!**

**As always, don't' forget to review!!**

**Keep it rockin'!**

**-The Gabmeister-**


	14. You Know Where to Look

Chapter Fourteen: You Know Where to Look

Chapter Fourteen: You Know Where to Look

Colby sat on the couch, leaning up against Randy. Everyone else had gone to bed and her, Randy and John had stayed up to watch one of Colby's favorite movies _The Exorcist_.

"This movie isn't really all that scary," Randy told her.

"No, I don't think so, either, but it's a classic. I'm sure it seemed scary when it first came out. Oh, wait, here's my favorite part," she pointed to the TV as Regan, the main character, did the walking back bend down the stairs and once she reached the bottom, blood came gushing out of her mouth.

"You, Miss Taylor, have a very sick and twisted mind," John told her from the chair.

"But, if you didn't like it, you would've left already."

"I really don't have a choice since I came here with Orton."

"You would've found a way home if you really couldn't stand me."

John just shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the movie. It wasn't long after that, that Colby heard her phone buzzing on the table in front of her and Randy.

"Who's calling you at one in the morning?" Randy asked her.

"I don't know," she said and picked up the phone. She looked at the caller ID and sighed before opening it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, baby. What are you doing?" Elijah asked her.

"Watching a movie. Why are you calling so late?"

"I just home from being down at Drew's house."

"Oh," she answered as John made a joke to Randy and they both began laughing loudly.

"Who's there, Colby?"

"Umm…Randy and his friend, John. They're spending Christmas with us."

"Randy? That guy you let stay in your dorm room with you?"

"Yes," Colby told him as Randy and John quieted down, seeing that she was beginning to look a little upset.

"So how long are they staying?"

"As long as they want, Elijah. No one deserves to spend the holidays alone."

"You fucking like him, don't you?"

"Of course, I like him. I like both of them. They're really fun to be around."

"You know that's not what I fucking mean, Colby. You're trying to fucking bed Randy, aren't you? I'm sure it must be a thrill for you to have some other guy even look at you, much less talk to you and want to spend time with you. Face it, Colby, there's one else out there for you. No one but me. You might as well get used to it."

Colby felt tears sting the back of her eyes but tried to hold them in, trying to put on a front for Randy and John. The last thing she wanted to do was have an emotional breakdown in front of them. "Is there any other reason you called to besides to demolish the little self-esteem you left me with?"

"Yeah, we're not coming down for Christmas Eve. My sisters are flying in from Boston and mom wants to spend it at home with them. I'm sure you're probably jumping for joy inside now that you get to spend it alone with Randy," he said and hung up on her.

Colby closed her phone silently as Randy and John looked on in concern. She plastered a fake smile on her face. "I'll be right back," she said and got up off of the couch.

"Do you want us to pause the movie for you?" John asked quietly.

She shook her head before walking back to her room. As soon as she got there, she broke down in tears. Why did she put up with this? Why did she let him treat her like shit day in and day out? Oh, yeah, that's right. She loved him. That's why.

She collapsed onto her bed and buried her face in the pillow as she continued to cry. She was crying so hard that she didn't even hear her bedroom door open.

Randy walked over to her bed and sat on the edge, rubbing his hand up and down her back. She leaned up and looked at him and before she knew it she had fallen into his arms and continued to bawl. He just held her tightly and continued the motion of his hand.

He silently wanted to kill her boyfriend, wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp. How could anyone do anything this horrible to such a beautiful young woman? Granted, he didn't know what Elijah said to make Colby so upset, but he knew that whatever it was, it was uncalled for.

A few minutes later, Colby realized that it was that day back in her dorm room all over again, only now they had left John out in the living room by himself. She pulled away from Randy's chest and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. She felt horrible for making Randy and John's stay there overdramatic.

Randy was the first to speak between the two. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Believe me, I've been through a hell of a lot worse than this with him. But, I guess there is a plus side to this whole thing. You won't have to see him. He's not coming down tomorrow, or rather today," she said glancing at her clock.

"That is a good thing, because if I did see him, I'd probably be spending Christmas in jail for assault."

She shifted her position on the bed uncomfortably. She didn't want Randy to start sticking up for her. That would only add more fuel to the fire between her and her boyfriend and that was the very last thing that she needed.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did he say to you?"

"I'd really rather not talk about it."

"Come on, it'll make you feel better," he encouraged her.

She shrugged her shoulders and glanced over at Randy before settling her gaze on her hands. "He said some stupid shit like I'm trying to get you in bed and that it must just thrill me to no end that another guy or guys in this case have actually been paying attention to me. But also that there is no one else out there for me. No one that will take me in and love me like he supposedly does."

Randy could feel his blood boiling, his fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to search the whole damn state of Illinois to find that mother fucker. He wanted to make him hurt as much physically as he had hurt Colby mentally and emotionally. But now wasn't the time. Now, he needed to take care of her. He needed to make her feel wanted and loved. So, he did the only thing he knew to do.

He kissed her.

He took her bottom lip softly in between his teeth while letting his tongue roam across her top one. He gently ran his fingers through her silky, raven hair as her hand found a place on the back of his neck. He slowly pulled away before looking into those opening grey eyes that he found absolutely stunning. "I don't want you to believe a damn word he says okay? There is someone else out there for you. There are millions of guys that would absolutely die to be with someone like you. And I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not one of them. You're one of the most caring and loving people that I've met. You let me stay with you when I had nowhere to go and then you not only invite me, but John as well up here for Christmas. Colby, you have a golden heart. Not many people can say that, but if you let him treat you like this…sweetheart, you're not going to have a heart left because he's going to have shattered it into a million pieces."

Colby had begun to cry again, but not because she was sad or hurt, but because what Randy was telling her was something that nobody else had even come close to saying. Her mind still reeling from the kiss that they had just shared, she threw her arms around him and held on as tightly as she could, but Randy pulled away.

He thumbed away the tears that were resting on her cheeks before kissing her forehead. "I know what I just did was wrong. You're in a relationship, even if it's a bad one, but I just wanted to show you that just in case you're ever ready to find that someone else, you know where to look."

**Here's another chapter. And this one has a special dedication to it…to my Twin, Britt on her birthday!! She started another story for me on mine so I thought the least I could do was update my stories for her on hers! So Happy Birthday!**

**I want to thank kimgray, giftiebee, xKillerstyle.Blvd., techwiz, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, punkydiva17, Alkira Sonoma, xxHungryEyesxx, babyxbxgurl, OrtonCenaHardyChick, purplefeather21(for both chapters 12 and 13), and Recco101 for reviewing! You guys are completely and utterly awesome! **

**I love you!**

**Keep it rockin'!**

**-Gabby-**


	15. I Know You Will

Chapter Fifteen: I Know You Will

Colby stepped out of her room and tiptoed into the kitchen, trying her best not to wake the two sleeping men in the living room. She threw her winter coat over her and quietly walked into the backyard. Once outside, she climbed on the railing of the deck and leaned up against the siding of the house and stretched her legs out in front of her.

She stared out into the cold wintry abyss. The cold silence that surrounded her was just what Colby needed to think clearly about what happened about an hour and a half ago.

_He thumbed away the tears that were resting on her cheeks before kissing her forehead. "I know what I just did was wrong. You're in a relationship, even if it's a bad one, but I just wanted to show you that just in case you're ever ready to find that someone else, you know where to look."_

_Colby just stared back at him in shock. Did he really mean that? Or was he just trying to make her feel better?_

_Randy kept looking at her as though he was expecting a response. _

_She finally decided to say something but she knew it wasn't what he was wanting. "I think I'm going to bed now, Randy. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight."_

_She laid back in the bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. She looked over and saw that Randy hadn't moved from his spot on the bed. "Goodnight, Randy," she said, a little more emphatically. _

_He looked down at his hands before slowly getting up and walking toward the door. As he was headed out, he paused in the doorway. "Goodnight," he told her quietly before closing the door behind him. _

Colby sighed as she pulled her coat closer to her body. What was she supposed to do now? Should she tell Elijah? Surely that would only cause more problems between her and her boyfriend. She couldn't tell him. Then again, she couldn't keep it all inside. She had to tell someone. She could tell Lauren, but if anything, she would urge the situation between Colby and Randy. Colby needed someone completely objective in the situation.

As she pulled her hood over her head, she heard the sliding glass door open. She figured that it was Randy after the first night that he had stayed at her house.

"I said I would talk later, Randy."

"There are two things wrong with that statement. One, you didn't tell me that and two, I'm not Randy."

Colby turned and saw John standing outside with two cups of coffee. He handed her one before hoisting himself up on the railing at her feet.

"What are you doing out here? It's freezing," he asked her.

"I almost forgot how peaceful it is out here. It's a good place to think," she replied before taking a sip of the coffee that John had given her.

"Well…what are you thinking about?" he asked.

"About stuff."

"So, I'm guessing "stuff" is what happened between you and Randy?"

Colby quickly looked up at John. "He told you what happened?"

"No, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that something did. After you were back there for awhile with him, he came out and went straight to sleep. Didn't say a damn word," he paused. "You want to tell me what happened?"

She didn't answer, but rather focused her attention on her coffee mug in her hands. She couldn't possibly tell John. He was Randy's best friend and undoubtedly would be biased.

"I know what you're thinking," John spoke, breaking her away from her thoughts, "but you're wrong."

"And what exactly am I thinking?"

"You're thinking that if you tell me what happened, I'm automatically going to take Randy's side in the matter. But you're wrong. I have no problem telling Orton when he's wrong and he'll be the first one to tell you that. When all that shit went down between him and Erica, he was the first one I put the blame on."

"Why would you do that without hearing his side of the story?"

"In the past, Randy hadn't always been the most honest and committed guy in his relationships. Once he met Erica, though, it all changed. He did a complete one-eighty right in front of my eyes, but I still had suspicions that he might be unfaithful to her. But, I'm getting off track here. The point is…I don't completely jump to one person's side because they're my best friend. I always give the other person the benefit of the doubt. So, why don't you tell ol' Johnny Boy what happened?"

Colby sighed before taking a drink and looking back at John. "You probably already know that I was talking to my boyfriend on the phone and you also probably know that things didn't go so well. I went back to my room and before I could stop myself I started to cry. Randy came in a few minutes later and he comforted me after I told him what went on between me and Elijah. Before I knew it, Randy was kissing me and I was kissing him back. And now, the only thing I'm sure of is that I'm incredibly confused."

John slid down from the railing and stood in front of Colby, motioning for her to turn toward him. As she did so, he took her mug from her and set it beside her before taking her hands in his. "Let me ask you something, Colby. Do you truly, unconditionally love your boyfriend?"

A year ago, hell, even two weeks ago before Randy walked into her life, that question would've seemed preposterous to her, but now it really was a true question. "I thought I did. I mean I think I do. But ever since we've gone off to college, Elijah has been a completely different person. I don't know him anymore. He's just so uncaring and self-centered."

"It seems to me that you're just trying to find an excuse to stay with him because, correct me if I'm wrong, he's your first boyfriend?" he questioned as she nodded. "You know, it's always hard to get over that first love. I've been there. Everyone's been there, but there comes a time when you have to figure out if being in that relationship is the right thing for you as a whole. Is it what you deserve or are you just settling? That's the first thing you need to figure out."

Colby suddenly felt the tears spring to her eyes for the second time that night. She knew that John was right but she didn't peg him for someone who was so insightful about love. She took her right hand from his to brush away the tears.

John looked at her, concerned. He could tell that he actually hit on something and had probably described her situation perfectly. "Now, I don't think that Randy did the right thing by kissing you, but there was something inside of you that wanted it or else you wouldn't have kissed him back. So, I guess the only question left is do you have feelings for Randy?"

She closed her eyes and John allowed her to think for a minute. She knew that she thought Randy was a caring and amazing man, but did she really have some sort of feelings for him? John was right, once again. If she didn't have feelings for him, she would've pushed away instead of urging him to continue. She was grateful that Randy had more or less chanced into coming into her life, but damn, it seemed that he had only made everything a complete and utter mess. Before she had met him, she was sure that she loved Elijah and no one else. She had ignored what everyone else had said about him and about how she had deserved so much better. The same sentiments coming from a complete stranger, however, were a lot more effectual. It seemed like Randy really cared about her, about her feelings and emotional well-being. But did she return the same feelings?

"I don't know," she answered quietly.

"Well, maybe it would be a good idea if you went inside and slept on this whole ordeal," John told her, helping her down from the railing before pulling her in for a hug. "I know this all must be really confusing for you, but from what I've seen and from what Randy has told me, you're a very strong, intelligent, young woman. You'll make the right decision. I know you will."

* * *

**Thanks to punkydiva17, techwiz, giftiebee, purplefeather21, xxHungryeyesxx, Leslove4me, Alkira Sonoma, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, jada951, Recco101, SandraMoore7474 and Ashley for reviewing chapter fourteen. You guys are truly amazing and motivating! I love you all!**


	16. Christmas Eve

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Christmas Eve

Randy woke late the next morning to find everyone except John gone. His best friend was sitting up on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television.

"Where is everybody?" Randy asked, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"They took Colby to work and then they went to a church service. I figured you wouldn't want to go."

"Colby has to work today? She didn't tell me that."

"Until seven, but her mother made a point of telling me to tell you that she'll need a ride home tonight."

Randy nodded before he got up and walked into the kitchen to get something to drink. When he returned and sat down, he felt John's eyes on him. "What do you want, Cena?" he asked, refusing to look at his friend.

"Colby told me you kissed her last night."

Randy raised an eyebrow, still not making eye contact with John. "And when did she tell you this?"

"Last night after you went to bed."

"That's impossible. She kicked me out last night by saying that she was going to sleep."

John rolled his eyes at Randy. Sometimes the St. Louis native could be so stupid. "Did it even occur to you that maybe she was saying that just to get rid of your ass?" When Randy shrugged, John continued. "Anyway, I heard her go outside last night and managed to get her to tell me what happened. Man, this situation between you, her and her boyfriend has that girl all sorts of confused. Seriously, Orton, what were you thinking when you did that?"

Randy looked down at his glass of orange juice. "I wasn't thinking, John. I was feeling. For the first time in three years, I was feeling."

"Damn it, Randy, do you realize what you're doing? The girl is only eighteen years old! Do you have any clue how much baggage that's going to be for you? Especially since she's in this relationship that is obviously bad for her. I tell you man, you picked one hell of a time to start feeling."

Randy leaned back in the chair. He couldn't help his feelings toward Colby, but maybe John was right. Maybe possibly being with her could also bring on a lot of baggage for him. Did he really want that?

"Look, bro," John interrupted his thoughts. "I don't mean to rain on your parade. Colby is a great girl. A very smart, fun, mature girl. But that's the problem. She's a GIRL, not a woman. Girls that age are clingy and want to be with you every minute of every day. And, sorry to tell you, buddy, but that just ain't going to happen with our line of work."

Randy looked at John and couldn't help but laugh. "What's so fucking funny, Orton?"

"I just find it entertaining that you've known Colby for two and a half days and you still think she's just like every other eighteen year old girl. Man, and people think I'm slow. I had that shit figured out after the first day. But, let me tell you something, Cena, she's not. She's got the mind and soul of a twenty-five year old woman trapped inside an eighteen year old's body. You have no clue what you're talking about."

"Dude, don't get me wrong. I like Colby. I really do, but she's completely hung up on her first love who just so happens to treat her like shit. You don't need to be getting caught up in that shit."

"I'm trying to help her, John. I'm trying to make her see that she deserves so much better than that Elijah punk."

"And you think that you're what she needs? You think you're what she deserves?"

Randy didn't answer. He knew he had had his problems in the past with relationships, but he had changed since then. At least he thought he had. Everyone around him told him so. But what if he went back to his old ways if or when he got with Colby? He didn't think he could live with himself if he did a thing like that to hurt her. Or anything else to hurt her as a matter of fact. He did know one thing, however. If he did end up being in a romantic relationship with Colby, he would definitely show her how a woman should be treated by a man.

"Are you going to answer me, Orton?" John asked, breaking Randy away from his ponderings.

"Ya know, John? I many not be what she needs or what she deserves, but I can damn well guarantee that I can treat her better than the piece of shit she's with now."

* * *

Frustrated, Colby threw the hanging shirt down on the floor. Even in her two inch heels and jumping up and down, she couldn't manage to reach the stupid bar that the shirt was supposed to be hanging on. Damn, she hated being short. She took a deep breath before slowly letting it out and picking the shirt up and trying to hang it again but ended up unsuccessful.

"Fuck this," she said, letting her arms fall to her sides.

"Maybe you should try something called a ladder."

She turned around to see Randy standing behind her. "What are you doing here?"

He just smiled and took the shirt from her hand and easily hung it up on the bar that she had been so desperately trying to reach. "Your mom said that you needed a ride home from work. So, here I am."

"Oh," Colby answered, simply. "Where's John?"

"He stayed behind; said that we need to talk about things. Personally, I think he just wants to stick around your house so he can get the first taste of your mom's food," Randy chuckled. "But I do think he's right. We need to talk."

She just looked up at him and nodded, before looking at her watch. "Okay, well, it's a quarter till seven now and I have to close so it's going to be a few minutes after before I get out of here. If you want you can go somewhere else, although I'm not sure anywhere else is open, except Wal-Mart."

"Is there any way that I could just stay here, maybe help you get your stuff done faster?"

"I guess so. I'm not on a register so all I really have to do is make sure the fitting room stays clean."

Over the next half an hour, Randy helped Colby make sure that all her work was done quickly and correctly even though she had to keep helping him to find out where things went from the fitting rooms. Before long, they walked out the door to Randy's Escalade and hopped in. They were silent for a few minutes as he pulled out of the parking lot.

He sighed before turning to her. "I'm sorry about last night, Colby. I really shouldn't have done that."

She nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry, too; for throwing you out. It's just…when you kissed me, I didn't know how I should react, ya know?"

"I understand," Randy replied. "Just bad timing, huh?"

"I guess you could say that," Colby said, uncomfortably. "But enough about that. We both said our apologies and now all we need to do is enjoy the holidays."

About fifteen minutes later, they arrived back at the house and walked right into the wonderful smell of a home cooked meal of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. They sat down and relished in the meal and once it was finished and their bellies full, the family plus John and Randy moved into the living room where they would open their customary one gift on Christmas Eve. Randy and John sat back and watched as Colby and her family opened their gifts. However, they didn't feel left out. They were just happy that they didn't have to spend Christmas home by themselves.

"Did you and Colby talk?" John asked Randy once he made sure that the rest of the occupants in the living room weren't listening.

"Yeah, a bit," Randy answered as Colby cracked a joke about her sister, who just folded her arms in protest.

"That doesn't sound very convincing."

"How much are we really supposed to talk about it, Cena? There's only so much we can say. I told her I was sorry for what I did and she told me she was sorry for reacting the way that she did. That's all we can really say," he replied briefly looking at his best friend before noticing Colby walk over to them with two presents in her hands.

"I didn't want you guys to feel left out, so I got you these. Don't worry your bigger presents are put back for tomorrow," she smiled as she handed the presents to the wrestlers.

"You didn't have to get us anything, Colby," Randy told her, before receiving an elbow to the stomach from John.

"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to."

Randy glanced over at John who was already beginning to rip open the gift and he started on his. As he finally got the box open, he realized that she had gotten him one of the newest _Affliction _t-shirts that were out. "Wow, thanks, Colby. How'd you know I liked these?"

She shook her head and chuckled in response. "You spent a week with me, Randy. Those shirts were practically all that you wore," she told him as John opened his gift to reveal a Boston Red Sox jersey. "I know that you probably already have one of those, but I've never heard anyone complain about having too many jerseys."

"Damn, thanks," John smiled in appreciation before throwing the jersey over his t-shirt. "Actually, I really needed a new one. I was eating a chili dog at the ballpark one time and this guy in front of me got pissed off because the Sox scored a run and knocked my chili dog right in my lap. He was a Yankees fan."

Randy rolled his eyes at his friend and looked back at Colby. "Seriously, Colby, you didn't have to do this. I only got you one gift."

"It really is okay. I'm the type of person who really loves to give gifts rather than receive them," she yawned. "Damn, I think I'm actually going to head to bed. It's going to be an early morning tomorrow. Goodnight, guys," she said and gave them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek before bidding her family goodnight and disappearing down the hall.

* * *

**Damn, guys. A lot has happened in the last week or so. As many of you know, at least those that check my profile or are my friends on myspace, my grandma passed away a little over a week ago. Then, as uncaring as it may seem to some people, I went to Six Flags in the STL after her funeral (The way I look at it is, even though someone else is gone, you can't stop living) where I got an enormously bad sunburn that I'm still battling now. Then I get home Thursday, go to work Friday where I'm forced to stay inside while a funnel cloud is right over our building. Then Sunday I pay forty bucks to see Randy get injured at One Night Stand then have to suffer through an Orton-less RAW. Then Tuesday we have even more tornado warnings out, one that touches down like five miles away from my house. I seriously think that there's been more excitement since I've been home then there was at Six Flags. Anyway, enough of my ramblings. On to the thank you's…**

**Thanks to punkydiva17, kimgray, giftiebee, Sandra Moore7474, Leslove4me, techwiz, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, jada951, xxHungryeyesxx, Recco101, Alkira Sonoma, gurl42069 and purplefeather21 for reviewing chapter fifteen and I hope you all decide to review this chapter, too. You know I love to hear what you guys think. **

**Keep it rockin'**

**-The Gabmeister-**


	17. It's Not Goodbye

Chapter Seventeen: It's Not Goodbye

It was seven o'clock in the morning and Colby was flipping through all of the Christmas specials on TV while lying in her bed.

She could hear that someone was up out in the kitchen. Probably her sister, but she knew that neither one of her parents were up and John and Randy surely weren't either.

She sighed to herself before turning off the television and rolling over, trying to catch some more sleep for the long day ahead of her. Just as she was beginning to drift back off to sleep, she heard her door creak open. She glanced at the door to see John walking in with two mugs in his hand.

"Merry Christmas," he smiled as she sat up. "Did I wake you up? I thought I heard the TV a few minutes ago."

"No," she smiled back. "I've been up for a while and I was watching my TV but then I thought that the only person up was my sister so I was trying to catch a few more z's."

"Oh, I see," he said and handed her a mug of hot chocolate which she graciously took and motioned for him to sit down.

"Merry Christmas to you, too, by the way. Why are you awake so early?"

"I guess it's jut the kid in me that feels the need to get up at the ass crack of dawn on Christmas morning," he laughed and sat on the bed beside her.

"Obviously, you're not the only one," she said, grabbing the remote once more and turning the TV back on. "Oh, look. _Fresh Prince _is on. I must've missed that earlier."

"I love this show," John said, looking over at her. "Although, you don't seem like a girl who would like this."

"Well, do I seem like a girl who can kick your ass at _Guitar Hero_? I like a lot of things girls my age don't."

John smiled at her before taking a drink of his hot chocolate. "So I've been told."

* * *

_Now this is a story all about how_

_My life got flipped turned upside down_

_And I'd like to take a minute_

_Just sit right there_

_I'll tell you how I became _

_The prince of a town called Bel-Air_

Randy groaned to himself as this annoying theme song reached his ears from down the hall. Seconds later, he heard laughter and immediately recognized it as John and Colby's. He absentmindedly grabbed his watch off the coffee table and let out another groan as he caught sight of the time. Granted, it was Christmas morning, but he needed his sleep too, damnit. He tossed the watch back on the table and slowly climbed off the air mattress and made his way down the hall to Colby's room.

"Merry Christmas, Randy," she greeted him as he opened the door to find his best friend sitting on the bed with her.

"Yeah, Merry Christmas," he replied, his voice still hoarse from just waking up.

"Well, you could be a little more enthusiastic about it, Orton," John joked. "It's fucking Christmas, man!"

Randy looked from John to Colby who had an expectant smile on her face; one that he just couldn't resist. "Oh my God!" he yelled, jumping on top of the two on the bed. "It's Christmas! It's Christmas! When do we get to open presents? I hope I got that matchbox car I wanted!"

Colby threw her head back in laughter as Randy continued to jump up and down on the bed acting like a little kid. But all the laughter and jumping ceased when the door burst open to reveal Colby's father.

"What the hell is going on in here? Do you not realize that people are trying to sleep right across the hall from you?" he asked, his eyes mainly focused on his eldest daughter and Randy who was still standing on the bed.

"Sorry, Mr. Taylor," John spoke. "Randy here gets a little too excited at Christmas time."

Randy shot John a glare as his cheeks turned a bright crimson and he sat down on the bed. "Sorry, Mr. Taylor. We'll be a little more quiet."

"No sense in that now. Ann's up, as is Allyson, so if you would all like to, we're going to go out and open gifts."

"That'd be great, Dad," Colby smiled. "Come on, guys."

* * *

Randy was so glad he had decided to drag John along and spend Christmas with Colby and her family. They were so much fun even with the constant bickering between Colby and Allyson. It just reminded him of how he and his brother and sister interacted. He came to the conclusion that he would have to introduce Colby to his siblings.

"Hello? Earth to Orton?"

Randy snapped out of his thoughts and turned to his best friend. "What?"

"I think Colby's been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes or so."

Randy looked over at the grey-eyed beauty and saw that her family had moved from the living room to the kitchen and that she was indeed looking back at him. She motioned to him and John to join her on the floor in front of the Christmas tree and they happily obliged. Colby didn't say a word to them, but instead grabbed two big boxes from underneath the tree and handed them each one.

"What the hell did you buy?" Randy asked her as she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Open it in find out. That is if you can."

"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked but only received a smile from her.

It wasn't five seconds later that curiosity got the best of the two men and they began to rip the wrapping paper from the box to find layers upon layers of packaging tape. Clear packaging tape at that.

John looked from his gift to Colby. "I'm not giving you my present now."

"Oh, good grief. It's a tradition in my family. One that I'm very proud of and talented at. I can guarantee you that it will be worth the hassle."

Randy smiled and reached over to the coffee table where his keys, watch and other pocket items were located and retrieved his pocket knife. But before he could open it, Colby snatched it out of his hand.

"There is on rule. You can't use anything but your hands. No knives, no scissors, no keys. Absolutely nothing."

"You've got to be kidding me," Randy stated incredulously.

"Look at my face," Colby told him. "Does it look like I'm kidding?"

Randy sighed and glanced over at John, who had begun to pick at the first of many layers of the clear tape, and decided he might as well start on it too.

Colby watched on in amusement as twenty minutes passed by and the two men had barely made a dent in the layered packaging. She could tell both were getting frustrated. She knew she had been when she was in their position so many times before. There was no way of telling where one piece of tape ended and another began. She let a few more minutes pass before finally decided to show a little sympathy toward her newfound friends and handed Randy the pocket knife she had been holding onto.

He looked at her with appreciation and swiftly cut through the tape before passing the knife to John who did the same. Randy quickly opened the box to see it full of DVDs; at least fifteen.

"You said you really haven't seen many movies lately, so I figured I'd give you a few good ones," Colby smiled.

"Colby, this is more than just a few movies. These must've cost you a small fortune."

"It doesn't matter, Randy. If it was a problem, I wouldn't have done it."

"What the hell is this?" John questioned, interrupting Colby and Randy's conversation. He pulled his gifts out of the box and Randy couldn't help but burst into laughter. In John's hands were a plastic replica WWE Championship and a package containing a female looking blowup doll.

An enormous grin spread across Colby's face. "This was all Randy's fault."

Randy snapped his head toward her, eyes wide. "My fault?"

"Yeah. When I asked you what to get John for Christmas on our way home from my school, you told me that the only things John didn't have was a title and a woman."

"I would've gladly taken another jersey," John said, not believing the items that he held in his hands.

"Don't worry, John. I'll get you something better. A real Christmas present."

"It's quite alright, C. I can take a joke just as well as anyone," he said, leaning over and giving her a hug. "Plus, allowing me to have some of your mom's cooking the past four days has been enough of a Christmas present. Speaking of which, I'll be right back." He got up from his spot on the floor and disappeared from the room only to come back a few minutes later with gifts in his hands. He handed one to Randy and the other one to Colby. "Open mine first. I can guaranteed you, it's better."

Colby smiled at him and began to rip off the wrapping paper. "You guys really didn't have to get me anything."

"Oh, it's really no big deal," John grinned back as she reached into the box and pulled out a DVD.

"A signed copy of _The Marine_?" she inquired.

"Yeah, Orton said something about how you loved that movie so I thought this would be the perfect gift."

"Oh, he did, did he?" Colby asked, glancing over at Randy who had been unusually quiet the last few minutes. He just shrugged his shoulders and smiled back at her. She specifically remembered telling him that she thought the movie was overdramatic and unrealistic but the least she could do was accept the gift graciously after what she had pulled for John's gift. "Well, thank you, John. It was really sweet of you."

"No problem, but now that that's over with, I'm gonna go see if your mom needs any help making dinner. You think she'll let me taste some?"

"I'm sure she will," Colby told him as he walked happily into the kitchen, leaving her and Randy by themselves.

"I'm glad that he has such an enormous appetite. I was kind of hoping to be alone when I gave you my gift," Randy said to her, placing the small package in her hands.

She carefully pulled the ribbon that was holding the two parts of the box together and peeked inside at it. "Oh my God, Randy. It's beautiful." She pulled from the box a necklace; a beautiful chain with a small snowflake charm adorned in what looked like real diamonds.

"I thought it fit since it was the snow that brought us together," he said softly, taking the piece of jewelry from her and moving behind her and placing it around her neck.

"I'm sure this cost a pretty penny. You really, really didn't have to do this."

"If it was a problem, I wouldn't have done it," he repeated the same sentence she had just moments before and gave her a hug from behind her. "Merry Christmas, Colby."

The rest of that Christmas evening was spent with everyone gathered around the television watching all sorts of Christmas specials and before long everyone, minus Randy and Colby, had retired to bed. The duo sat in her room in a comfortable silence, his arm around her shoulders while lying in the bed. Neither really wanted to say anything about the day that would come in just a few short hours. Randy and John had to get back out on the road with the WWE and Colby was scheduled to return to work at eight in the morning.

She didn't want them to leave. The past few days were so much fun with John and Randy and she hadn't even thought of Elijah and his family's decision to skip out on Christmas Eve once. She knew the next day was going to be hard, but it was something that she would have to get used to if she were to continue to be friends with the two wrestlers.

Randy felt the same way. He immediately felt relaxed when he arrived back in Colby's hometown for the holiday and he wished that the feeling could last forever. The thought of having to go back on the road after having nearly three weeks away from the wrestling business almost seemed dreadful. He felt Colby squirm uncomfortably next to him and could tell that she was thinking about the upcoming day as well.

"I wish you didn't have to leave," she said softly, breaking the silence that they had become so accustomed to.

"I know. Me too. This was the best Christmas I've ever had. I hate to leave it all behind."

"It was great, wasn't it? I enjoyed it. It seemed with you here I could forget about all of my problems. I like that feeling."

"You know that if you have any problems or if you just need to talk, I'm only a phone call away."

"Yeah, I know. It's just going to be hard to saying goodbye to you tomorrow."

He smiled down at her and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. "It's not a goodbye really. It's more of a see ya later."

* * *

**I know it's been forever since I've updated this. It seems as though my summer has seemed to have gone from bad to worse not to mention I've had a major case of writer's block with all of my stories as you can probably tell, yet I have had enough imagination in the mean time to come up with two new story ideas, both of which I've started the first chapters for. I don't know when those will get up, but hopefully sometime soon (as if I don't have enough to work on, right?)**

**You guys have been absolutely so brilliant and patient. Not to mention you are all great at reviewing. Thanks to Alkira Sonoma, techwiz, Kenny-Bell, punkydiva17, giftiebee, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, xxHungryEyesxx, littleone999, SandraMoore7474, ShannonMooreFan, kimgray, Leslove4me, xKillerstyle.Blvd. and Recco101. Thanks also to Caged Sparkle Black for reviewing chapters thirteen through sixteen.**

**Thanks to all of you again and don't forget to review this chapter also :) **

**Keep it rockin'!**

**-Gabby- **


	18. Forget He Existed

Chapter Eighteen: Forget He Existed

The next morning, Colby woke to the soft buzzing of the alarm on her phone going off. She quickly grabbed it and turned it of so as not to wake the sleeping Randy Orton next to her. She carefully threw the blankets off of her and pulled herself away from the protective arm that secured her waist before pulling the blankets back over Randy. She smiled slightly then began to quietly pick out her clothes for work. She knew that either her or Randy should've moved out into the living room on the air mattress, but they wanted to spend as much time together as possible before they had to go their separate ways. She would just have to deal with the repercussions from her father later.

She took a quick shower and got ready for work before walking back into her room to see Randy still asleep. She grabbed the ever present pen and paper from her desk and wrote him and John a small note, thanking them for coming before leaving the sleeping house with tears in her eyes.

The only saving grace that morning was that Colby was opening the store with Lauren and her favorite manager Melissa. As Colby pulled into the parking lot, she saw Lauren's car already sitting there. She shut off her mom's Honda Pilot and got out before knocking on her best friend's window and climbing inside her car.

"Hey, chick," Lauren smiled. "What's up?"

"Not much. Just tired. How was your Christmas?"

"It was good. Brandon came over and spent it with us. And look, he finally got me an engagement ring," she said and flashed her hand to Colby.

"Oh my God, Lauren, that's beautiful! I'm so happy for you," Colby replied, giving her a hug.

"So what did Elijah get you?"

Colby shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her hands. "He didn't show for Christmas Eve. He says it was because his sisters were coming in from Boston, but I'm sure part of it was due to Randy and John being there."

"I'm sorry, hun. But, you do need to tell me how Christmas was with hottie number one and hottie number two."

"It was a blast. John and Randy together are absolutely hysterical. They always have…"

_Hey, nothing you can say_

_Nothing's going to change what you've done to me_

"Speak of the devil," Colby said and grabbed her phone from her purse. She smiled as she looked at the display picture of her and Randy when they were snowed in at her dorm room. "Hello?" she answered.

"Why didn't you wake me up? I wanted to say goodbye to you," Randy said, obviously upset.

"I thought it was a see ya later," Colby corrected him.

"You know what I mean."

"I didn't want to wake you or John. I knew that you had to drive home and then a flight to Pennsylvania later tonight. Didn't you get my note?"

"No."

"I set it right there on the bed." She heard a soft shuffling before Randy's voice came back through the phone.

"Sorry, I was laying on it. Anyway, I still wish you would've woken me up."

"I'm sorry."

"That's alright, but I do have something else to ask you. What are you doing New Year's Eve?"

"New Year's Eve?" Colby questioned, glancing over at Lauren. "I'm not sure yet."

"I wanted to know if you would want to come to my party that I have every year. It's always a blast."

"I don't know, Randy. I have to see what Elijah's doing and what my work schedule's like. We'll just have to see."

"Okay. Just let me know."

"You know I will, but I've got to go" she said as Melissa's car pulled into the parking space in front of them. "Let me know when you guys get to Pennsylvania."

"You know I will." She could hear the smile that was evident in his voice. "I will talk to you later then, I guess."

"Alright. Talk to you later," she said and hung up the phone as tears began to sting the back of her eyes once again. She really didn't want them to leave. She looked over at her friend who was staring at her pointedly. "What?"

"You're going down there on New Year's Eve if I have to kidnap you and drag you down there myself."

* * *

-December 31, 2007-

Randy felt almost giddy as he and John climbed into Randy's Escalade to make the hour and a half trip back to Colby's house. They hadn't seen her since Christmas night and were both very enthusiastic at the fact that she had finally agreed to come to Randy's annual New Year's Eve bash. Nearly half of the WWE roster was coming and Randy couldn't wait for them to meet Colby.

"Any bets on who she'll take a liking to the most?" John asked as he stared out at the passing scenery through the passenger side window.

"Hopefully no one more than me. I'm her favorite," Randy smiled at his friend. "But seriously, I think she'll get along with just about everyone. Although she says she's pretty excited about meeting Hardy and Jericho."

"To tell you the truth, Orton, I'm surprised she's even coming."

"I'm pretty sure Lauren had something to do with it. She would do anything to get Colby away from Elijah. Hell, she despises the prick more than I do."

"I wonder what he thinks of her coming down here."

"I'm sure he probably doesn't even know. He's so fucking possessive of her, but at the same time, he doesn't give a shit about her."

"I just hope that if he does find out, he doesn't give her any problems."

"I swear to you, Cena, if he even thinks about laying a hand on her, I'm going to break his fucking neck."

* * *

_She wakes up with sun_

_She throws on her clothes_

_Hoping her car will start the second time around_

_The day has begun, the line's out the door_

_Serving up fraps until she can't take anymore_

Colby sang one of her favorite songs as she straightened her hair for the night to come. She began to dance around the bathroom to the beat of the song in just the towel that she had wrapped around her.

_I wish I could tell her_

_You're one in a million_

_You're going the distance, babe_

_You're gonna work it out some day_

_I wish I could tell her_

_You're one in a million, but_

_You never even look my way_

As the second verse came around, she heard a knock at the door. "It's open!" she yelled down the hall. It had to be Randy and John coming to pick her up.

"Getting all gussied up for me, I see"

Her heart stopped. That wasn't Randy or John. She turned to the hallway to see her boyfriend. "Elijah? What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I'm here to spend New Year's Eve with my girl."

Colby looked at him, confused and shut off the CD player. "You told me you had plans tonight so I went ahead and made plans, too."

"Well, I changed my mind. I figured I haven't really spent any time with you in like a month."

"And whose fault is that? I've tried to spend time with you, yet you were always busy."

"And I'm sorry about that, baby," he said coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her before placing a kiss on her bare shoulder. "I'm sure Lauren and Brandon wouldn't mind if you cancelled on them."

"My plans aren't with Lauren and Brandon."

"You're family, then?"

"No, Elijah. I'm going down to Randy's house for a party that he's throwing."

"What? I thought you were done with that dumbass."

"No, I'm not done with him. We've become really good friends and he was nice enough to invite me to this party. I waited until I heard what you were doing before I gave him an answer. So, I'm sorry, but I'm not canceling on him. He and John are already on their way up here."

"And that's supposed to make me understand why you're ditching me for some guys you hardly even fucking know?"

"No, it's not!" she yelled, turning around to face him. "But if you want to get technical, I didn't ditch you. In order to have ditched you, I would've had to have made plans with you and I didn't and quite frankly, I'm glad."

His eyes narrowed down at her before resting on the snowflake charm around her neck. "And who gave you this? Randy?" he asked, picking the charm up away from her skin.

"As a matter of fact, he did. It's more than what you got me, which was absolutely nothing, and you're supposed to be my fucking boyfriend!"

"Well, I'm sorry if I can't shower you with diamonds and gold , but I really don't like the fact that some other guy is giving my girlfriend jewelry," he said and ripped the necklace from her neck and threw it on the bathroom floor.

"You're such a fucking asshole! Do you realize how much that probably cost him?" she asked, clutching her neck where the chain scratched it and began to walk over to pick up the broken necklace, but stopped when Elijah grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

"Get your fucking hands off of me, you stupid son of a bitch!" Colby screamed and before she knew it, his hand came across her face. She looked at him in shock as her free hand went to her cheek.

"You don't talk to me like that. Do you hear me?" he asked, gripping her arm even harder.

"Let go of me! Please!" she pleaded, her freshly applied mascara streaming down her cheeks.

"Are you kidding me? Bitch, you're getting exactly what you deserve," he said, bringing his hand back to smack her again, but it didn't budge from that spot due to a large tattooed arm holding it back.

"You will not ever, and I mean EVER, lay a hand on her," Randy growled from behind him.

Elijah let go of Colby's arm and turned around to face Randy and jerked his arm out of Randy's grasp. "What? Are you her knight in shining armor or something?"

"If that's what you want to believe."

"Let me guess. You're the almighty Randy. The man who can do no wrong. Well, let me tell you something, Randy, you have done some wrong in getting involved with this bitch…"

"Don't you call her that. You understand me you fucking punk?"

Colby stared between the two as they argued back and forth before glancing at the door where John looked like he was standing bodyguard. His eyes met hers and waved her over to him and she quickly did so, holding her towel up. He wrapped his strong arms around her as the watched the inevitably combustible situation.

Before anyone had processed what had happened, Elijah swung at Randy but missed. Randy, however, did not miss when he nailed Elijah in the nose, causing blood to come pouring out. As Elijah fell to the ground, Randy knelt down and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"If I ever hear of you even looking at her again, you're gonna wish that this is all you had wrong with you. Now, get the fuck out!"

"You dumb son of a bitch," Elijah told him as he got up off of the floor, wiping the blood from his face. "I'm gonna fucking sue your ass for everything you got."

John quickly left Colby's side and walked over to where there would undoubtedly be another altercation and grabbed the back of Elijah's shirt. "I suggest you leave, because if you don't, I'll just stand by and let him do whatever he wants to you."

Elijah looked around the room before shaking his head and walking down the hall. John followed close behind to make sure that he left the house completely, leaving Randy and Colby alone.

With being distracted by her boyfriend, Randy had almost forgotten who the whole bout was over. He immediately made his way over to her and examined her face and her neck. "What did he do to you Colby?"

"He ripped the necklace from my neck and snapped the chain. I tried to go get it after he threw it on the ground and he grabbed my arm," she sobbed. "And then he hit me, Randy. I never thought he would do that, but he hit me."

Randy pulled her into his chest and just let her cry. He knew this was tough for her, but in a sick way, he was kind of glad this happened. She finally realized that she needed to get away from him and that she deserved more.

John came back in a few seconds later and leaned against the door frame. "He's gone. I watched him leave."

Randy pulled away and looked down at Colby's tear stained face. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. We can stay here and make sure that you're okay and make sure that he doesn't come back."

"No, I'll go," she said after a few seconds. "You've got guests that are going to be there soon and I don't want you to disappoint them. Plus, I really need to get away from here. Away from this."

"If you're sure. I don't want to pressure you into anything you don't want to do," Randy told her as John nodded in agreement.

"I'm positive. Just give me a few minutes to finish my hair and get dressed."

Randy nodded and gave Colby a kiss on her cheek followed by John giving her a quick hug before they walked out of the bathroom, leaving her to get ready. The two men sat in the living room in silence for awhile.

"Are you sure we should let her come?" John spoke to his friend, quietly. "I mean, we could stay here of course."

Randy shook his head. "I think she's making the right decision. It'll do her good to get away. I'm planning on making this a night that'll make her forget all about what happened and best part of all, she'll completely forget that Elijah King even existed."

* * *

**So here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for. Colby finally got rid of that jerk and he got what he fully deserved. I hope you all like the way it turned out. And as for the quick update, you can thank the eight hours I spent at work yesterday, standing up at the cash register in a completely dead store.**

**Thanks to techwiz, punkydiva17, kimgray, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, SandraMoore7474, giftiebee, jada951, Leslove4me and grimdeathofpain for reviewing chapter seventeen.**

**Thanks again, guys!**

**Keep it rockin'!**

**-Gabby-**


	19. Tipsy

Chapter Nineteen: Tipsy

"I'm fine, Lauren. I swear. I'm just glad that Randy and John got here when they did," Colby told her best friend over her speakerphone as she finally was able to finish doing her hair.

"Do you want Brandon to beat him up? I'm sure he would if I asked him," Lauren replied.

Colby couldn't help but smile. "No, that's alright. I don't think Elijah will be coming around as long as Randy and John are still here."

"I agree. And, who knows? Maybe after tonight you'll have like fifty wrestlers willing to defend you."

"Yeah, well I'm not going to this party to recruit bodyguards. I'm going to get away from all of the shit that happened today."

"And if you happen to make a couple of drunken mistakes, who cares?"

"Lauren," Colby sighed, shaking her head.

"I know, I know. It was just a joke, Colby. But anyway, I'll let you go. Call me tomorrow and let me know how everything goes. I expect pictures!"

"You know I will call. As far as the pictures, I'll try. Have a good night."

"You too."

Colby hung up and looked into the mirror. She ran her fingers along the red marks on her neck where Elijah had ripped the necklace off. She then grabbed a washcloth and wiped off the dried mascara that had run down her cheeks. She looked down at her phone and noticed it was nearly five o'clock and she needed to get moving so she, Randy and John could get down to Randy's house before all the other wrestlers arrived.

She quickly fixed her makeup and threw on the outfit she had picked out and walked out to the living room. She told the guys that she was ready and they were soon on their way.

"You ready to get shit-faced, Colby?" John asked from the backseat as they turned on the interstate.

Colby smiled to herself. "I don't get shit-faced, John. However, I do like to watch everyone else get that way."

"Aw…come on, C. You need to have some fun tonight."

"I don't have to get drunk tonight to have fun. Randy can tell you that. I like the simple things in life."

"Like what?"

"Like playing in the snow. Wasn't that fun, Randy?"

"Yeah, except when you hit me in the face with that ice ball," Randy replied glancing over at her.

"Wait a minute, Orton. You were out playing in the snow? I would've loved to have seen that."

"You know what, Cena? If you thought of anything else besides food and getting drunk all the time you might be able to have some fun like that, too."

John just rolled his yes and the three sat in silence for a little while before John randomly began free-styling about everything they passed. By the time, they reached Randy's house, Colby's sides were aching uncontrollably from her laughing so hard.

Randy shook his head in amusement as he noticed the enormous number of cars in his driveway and parked on the side of the street. "Looks like the party's already started."

"How did everyone get in?" Colby asked as she climbed out of Randy's Escalade, finally able to catch her breath.

"Hunter and Steph have a key."

"They do?" John questioned. "How come they have a fucking key and I have to play the damn game of looking for the loose piece of siding?"

"Because I know they won't trash my house like you will."

John gave Colby a disappointed glance as she just shrugged her shoulders and looked to the home in front of her. "This is your house?" She suddenly felt a little self conscious about the two wrestlers staying in her modest one-story house compared to this mansion.

"Yep," Randy nodded as he opened the door to hear loud, thumping music inside.

Colby looked in and saw hordes of what she presumed to be WWE Superstars. "Did you invite enough people?"

Randy gave her his famous smirk. "What can I say? They know where the best party's at."

"Hey, Orton!" a tall blonde haired man yelled, walking up to Randy. "It's about time you showed up. I thought you might've bailed on your own party."

"I had to go pick Colby up. I told you that."

The man's hazel eyes turned from his friend to Colby. "So, you're Colby? Randy talks about you constantly."

She glanced at Randy out of the corner of her eye and saw red seeping into his cheeks. She smiled and looked back at the man in front of her. "And you're Triple H."

"That's funny. Randy told me you didn't watch wrestling."

"I didn't until I met him. And once he left, I did a little bit of research on the company, watched some videos of matches on youtube and have to say that I'm definitely hooked."

"That's good. Glad to hear it," he said, smiling his toothy grin. "I'm gonna get back to the party. Nice meeting you, Colby."

"Yeah, you too." As Hunter walked away, Colby looked around the room. "Where did John go?"

"I'm sure he made a beeline for the fridge," Randy smiled. "Speaking of which, do you want something to drink?"

"Sure," she replied as they made their way to the kitchen. Randy reached into his fully stocked fridge and pulled out two beers.

"Hey, if anyone asks, you're twenty-one, okay? There's some people here that would really jump my ass if I was allowing you to drink."

"Like who?" she asked, opening her beer that he had handed to her.

"Like, Shawn, Hunter, Taker, Dave, Ric, Punk, Stephanie…"

"Basically everyone."

"Yeah," he laughed. "Probably the only other ones besides Cena that wouldn't really care would be Jeff, Nitro and Miz. They really don't give a shit as long as you don't do anything stupid."

"I'm not going to do anything stupid, Randy. I'm not going to drink enough for that."

**2 Hours Later**

A group of people had gathered around the TV as Jeff Hardy busted out the last notes of "Sweet Child O Mine" on _Guitar Hero_ against Ken Kennedy.

"And still the undefeated champion of _Guitar Hero_, Jeff Hardy!" Maria Kanellis announced as she raised Jeff's hand in victory.

"What the fuck? Can nobody beat this cat?" John Cena yelled from one of the chairs in the room.

Randy stood beside Colby who was chatting with CM Punk. She was only on her second beer. A smile came across his face as he knew that Jeff had quite a buzz going on and an idea popped into his head. "Hey, everyone! Listen up!" he said, stepping in the middle of the crowd. "I'm issuing a challenge to Jeff Hardy on behalf of one of my very good friends."

"Orton, I've beaten Cena about a hundred times now," Jeff slurred, slightly. "Do you really want to put him through that embarrassment again?"

"I wasn't talking about Cena," Randy grinned even wider before glancing at Colby who was still engrossed in her conversation with Punk and was ignoring the goings on of the room. "Hardy, your new challenger is Colby Taylor."

Upon hearing her name, Colby's head shot up and in Rand's direction. She looked around and realized all eyes were on her. "What?"

"Come show Hardy what you've got, babe," Randy said, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the vacated guitar.

"No way, Randy. I'm not going to embarrass myself in front of all of these people," she muttered to him as he took her beer out of her hand.

"You're not going to embarrass yourself. Just do what you did at your house against John. And I can guarantee you that Jeff isn't going to cheat. You can beat him, just concentrate."

Colby looked at Randy before bursting into laughter. "How much have you had to drink tonight?"

"I don't know. Three, four beers. Why?"

"You're giving me a damn pep talk for a game of _Guitar Hero_. Go away. I got this."

Randy walked away, chuckling as Colby began fingering the keys on the guitar.

"I say we make a little wager on this one," Nitro commented from the back. "I bet a hundred dollars on Hardy," he said and laid a hundred dollar bill on the table beside him.

Colby looked over at Randy. She had no idea this was going to happen and judging by the look on his face, neither did he.

"Oh really?" Cena spoke up, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. "I bet two hundred on Colby."

"You're insane!" Colby yelled, looking at John.

"I second that," Randy said, taking out his wallet as well. "As a matter of fact, I double it."

A group of people erupted in laughter as none of them believed that this girl could beat an undefeated Jeff Hardy at this game. Several more people, including Miz, Adam Copeland, Matt Hardy, Kennedy, and Chris Jericho put their money on Jeff Hardy winning. That left just John Cena and Randy putting their money on Colby.

"So, Miss Taylor," Jeff spoke up once everyone stopped placing bets. "Pick your song."

She scrolled through the songs, trying to pick one that she knew very well but wasn't too easy. A small smile crept across her face as she stopped on "The Light That Blinds" by Shadows Fall.

"You gotta level?" Jeff asked.

"Expert," she replied without hesitation.

He selected said level and took a swig of his beer. Colby only hoped that he was inebriated enough to where she could beat him and not cause Randy and John to lose a combined total of six hundred dollars. Randy shot her a comforting glance as the song finally loaded.

The people that placed bets on Jeff winning began cheering him on from the beginning of the song while John and Randy sat back and watched silently. Colby tried to block out the noise of the crowd behind her as she concentrated on playing the song just like she had at home by herself. Apparently, though, Jeff couldn't ignore the background noise as well as his opponent and did something he never did…missed a note. There was a loud, audible gasp as the room stared on in shock. Colby kept playing perfectly and ended the song.

As soon as the screen popped up, declaring Colby the winner, Randy rushed over and picked her up in celebration as if she had just won the Women's Championship. Colby felt the reaction to her so called win was a little over the top but it didn't stop Randy and John from rubbing the victory in everyone else's face. John grabbed the money that had been placed on Hardy and began counting it.

"Two grand," he smiled, before walking up to Nitro. "You had people waste two grand on your boy and here, our girl beat him without a second thought about it."

"Yeah, well, your girl wasn't completely trashed like Jeff was. I can guaran-damn-tee you that if he was sober he would've whooped her ass," Nitro retorted, completely ignoring the fact that Jeff was denying the fact that he was trashed.

Colby looked at Randy, who had finally set her down, seeing a possible volatile situation. Two nearly drunk men arguing over money? Not a good combination.

"Alright!" Randy said, stepping in between his co-workers. "You all knew the circumstances when you placed the bets. You lost, that's your own fault," he told Nitro before turning to John. "You need to cool your jets. I'm not gonna have any shit breaking out tonight. I think we've had enough of that already."

Both John and Nitro backed up, hands in the air. Randy looked at John and held out his hand motioning for the money. John handed it to him reluctantly. "We're gonna split that, right?"

Randy didn't answer but walked over to Colby and picked up the money that he and John had laid down for her. He pulled two of the hundred dollar bills and handed them to John while pocketing the other four hundred. He then grabbed Colby's hand and placed the two grand in them.

She stared up at him in shock. "There's no way that I'm taking this money, Randy. I can't."

"You will. As a matter of fact, I'm going to take you tomorrow to go get a new chain for that necklace that he broke. And the rest, well, consider it like a rent payment for letting me stay with you when we were snowed in."

Colby knew she wasn't going to win this argument. "How about you just hold onto that until tomorrow then? I don't want to lose it."

He nodded in response and put the money in his wallet as John walked away, muttering something about how it wasn't fair that she got all of the money. "Don't worry about him. He'll forget it all happened by the morning."

She just nodded and sat down on the sofa behind her. She could feel a lot of eyes still on her and it didn't go unnoticed by Randy.

"Come on," he said, holding his hand out to her. She nodded and took it and followed him into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and turned to her. "Pick your poison."

She grabbed a bottle of Skyy vodka as Randy grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and closed the door behind her. "Where are we going?"

"Away from everyone else. I think that maybe we need some time just you and me," he said and led her up the stairs to his bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind him and walked Colby to the bed. "So, I take it you're not really enjoying yourself?"

"That's not it at all, Randy. I really am enjoying myself. It's just that I don't like to be put in the spotlight like that. I can mingle in a crowd or whatever but when that whole crowd's attention is on me, I just feel uncomfortable," she said, opening up the bottle. "But I'm sure you can't really relate. I mean, you're in front of thousands of people every week and who knows how many millions of people watching on TV."

"Maybe I can't relate now, but I definitely could about ten years ago. I was in Ohio Valley Wrestling, training and every time I would go out there would be so many 'what ifs' going through my mind. What if I did this move wrong? What if I hurt my opponent? What if the people don't like me? But when I got called up to the big leagues that was the first thing I learned. I learned that no matter how nervous I am, I have to go out and put on a show for all those people. When you're in front of that many people, it must be because they're expecting something from you. Granted, I don't think people would really pay to see a _Guitar Hero_ tournament, but it may help you in some other way," he smiled before taking a shot of Jack.

An hour and several shots later, Colby and Randy laid in his bed, having a free, uninhibited, heart to heart discussion.

"So, do you regret hooking up with Elijah?" Randy, who was a bit more sober than his counterpart, asked.

"In some ways. I wish I would've taken things a lot slower with him than what I did. Maybe then our relationship would've been more than just a fucking booty call towards the end," she replied, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling, her eyes glassy. "I mean how much more pathetic can I get than by spreading my legs within the first week that we're officially dating? If that doesn't say desperate then I don't know what does."

Randy could tell the alcohol was taking effect on her. She normally wouldn't talk like this when she was sober. "It's not desperate. Let me tell you what's desperate. Sleeping with a different girl every night because you can't find just one that seems like she's perfect for you. That's fucking desperate."

"What's your perfect girl, Randy?" she asked rolling over and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Someone who will love me for me, even with my flaws. Down to earth, not really wanting or expecting to be in the limelight with me. Just a normal everyday girl," he sighed, taking another drink. "What's your perfect guy?"

"My perfect guy would rub my feet after I've been standing on them for six to eight hours in those fucking heels. He would feel comfortable just sitting and watching a movie with me all the while just running his fingers through my hair and whatnot. He would also be the one to go out and get me a sno cone in the middle of winter."

Randy chuckled to himself, throwing his arm around her. "You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk," Colby sat up defensively. "I'm just a little bit tipsy."

"How tipsy are you then?"

"Tipsy enough to do this." She put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled his lips to hers. He dropped his bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor, not caring that the bottle shattered or that it spilled all over the floor and pulled her on top of him. She rolled over so that he was on top of her, only she rolled a little too far and both of them found themselves on the floor. She pulled away and started laughing uncontrollably.

Randy, however, wasn't laughing. Realization had hit. He wanted to lean down and kiss her again so badly, but there was no way that he was going to take advantage of her when she was in this state of mind. As much as she denied it, she was drunk and if he was going to continue this, he wanted it to be something that she would remember the next morning. He wanted it to be perfect for her and he knew that it was anything but. He stood up and helped her up off of the floor as she continued to laugh.

"I didn't mean to do that. I think I broke something," she giggled, holding her lower back.

"I know you didn't," he said, leading her back to the bed. She reached for her vodka bottle but he promptly took it away. "You don't need anymore of this."

"Oh, but the party is just getting started, Randykins! I think we should go back downstairs and dance on some tables or something."

"The party is over, Colby. It's three in the morning. I'm sure that everyone downstairs is either passed out or asleep. And that's what you need to do."

"Pass out?"

"No, sleep," he told her as he pulled back the covers and gently set her down. "You just go to sleep and I'll be right down the hall if you need anything." As she laid down, he pulled the blankets up over her and began to walk away, but stopped when he felt a hand on his arm.

"I want you stay, Randy. Please."

He nodded and walked around to the other side of his bed. By the time that he got in and covered up, Colby was asleep. His last hope before he fell asleep himself, was that she didn't remember any of this the next morning.

* * *

**First of all, I want to say that I don't encourage underage drinking, not gonna lie and say I haven't done it myself, but it just fit in with this and whatnot. I just felt that I should throw that out there. **

**It's a nice long chapter, huh? I guess either I've had a lot to say or I just want a lot to go in a short amount of time. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. Also, it may be the weekend or so before I update again as I am going to see the lovely Batista and John Cena this Friday! Woohoo! Just in time for me to prepare for the Supershow in the STL (my Randy's hometown) on August 31st.  
**

**Thanks to giftiebee, punkydiva17, CapriceCC, Caged Sparkle Black, Leslove4me purplefeather21 (for chapters 17 and 18), Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, LindseyRedfield, techwiz, Secret Thought, MM, kimgray, wrestlenascargirl, gurl42069, littleone999, Sandra Moore7474, Rated-R-For-Randomness, Blazing Glory and Amy229 for reviewing. You all are awesome! **

**And if you're looking for a good, long read, make sure to check out Rated-R-For-Randomness's story **_**Confessions of a WWE Diva**_**. It's an absolutely wonderful story! And if you're looking for a hot, steamy Randy oneshot check out giftiebee's **_**Coming Clean**_**.**

**And last but not least, I just posted a new poll on my profile page so make sure and check that out :)**

**Until next time…**

**Keep it rockin'**

**-Gabby-**


	20. A Shot in the Heart

Chapter Twenty: A Shot in the Heart

_Colby's head was throbbing as she bustled around the kitchen making breakfast, well, more like brunch for Randy and the few other guys that were still there. She was trying to look past all of the leftover alcohol to find the milk when she heard another set of footsteps enter the kitchen. _

_She peered around the refrigerator door to see a drowsy and, undoubtedly, hungover John Cena. "Morning, John," she mumbled and continued on in her search for the milk._

"_Yeah," she heard him say weakly._

_Finally pulling the milk from the fridge, Colby closed the door and looked over at the man to see him with his head laid down on the countertop. She smiled and grabbed a clean glass from the cupboard before filling it with water and finding a bottle of aspirin._

"_Drink up," she said and set the items down in front of him. _

_He looked up and grabbed the glass in front of him. "If you only knew how many times I listened to that advice last night."_

"_I'm guessing more times than you really should have."_

_He nodded as he finished swallowing the aspirin. "So did you enjoy yourself last night?"_

"_I did. Probably a little more than I should have," she answered as she began to mix the batter for the pancakes she was making. _

"_Come on, C. You're a college student. You're supposed to drink."_

"_It's not the drinking, John. Well…it is, but it isn't. It's what happened because of the drinking."_

_John looked at her for a moment, puzzled by what she had just said. But then it clicked. "Something happened between you and Randy, didn't it?"_

_She paused what she was doing for a moment before John heard her murmur a small yes. _

"_He put the moves on you?"_

"_No. The other way around."_

"_You put the moves on him?" he asked as she nodded. "What exactly happened? Did you sleep with him?"  
_

"_No, I didn't," Colby snapped defensively._

"_Sorry," he apologized, catching her tone. "I just know how Orton can be. Sometimes if he even thinks a girl is coming onto him, he takes full advantage of it. He can charm the panties off of just about every woman."_

"_That makes me feel so much better, John. Thank you."_

"_Look, C, I'm trying to let you know how Randy can be; how I've seen him act in the past. I want you to be prepared for him to fall back into old habits."_

"_I know," she sighed. "It's just that last night he was the one who stopped everything. I started kissing him and he stopped it. I guess, I just don't want to hear anything that would tarnish the impression that I have of him now."_

"_I understand that, but in order for you to understand how he is now, you have to know how he got here and how far he's come. You see what I'm saying?"_

"_I do," she said, softly and focused her attention on the pancakes she was flipping._

"_Something else is bothering you, C. What is it?"_

_Colby put the now fully cooked pancakes on a plate and set the pancake turner down before walking over to John. "I think I might be falling for him."_

_John chuckled a bit. "Well, Colby, in case you haven't noticed Randy's kinda falling for you, too. As a matter of fact, he's already fallen and landed flat on his face.'_

"_But I just got out of a relationship with Elijah and I don't want to rush into anything else."_

"_C, from the things that you have told me and the things that I saw yesterday, that relationship was over a long time ago."_

"_I know but it's not only that. I just don't want to put Randy through…"she trailed off as she contemplated what to say next. _

"_Through what?" John inquired, urging her to continue._

"_Through the fact that he's ready to get married and have a family and I'm nowhere near that point in my life. I mean, I don't want to get serious with him and then a couple years from now, him bring up the fact that he wants kids and everything. I won't even be out of college by then."_

"_First off," John said, holding his hand up, "don't you think you're rushing things a bit? A couple years from now, C? Come on. You gotta focus on the right now. And right now, it's obvious that you two want to be together. So, get together."_

"_You mean to tell me that you only think about the right now. You don't think about what you're going to be doing five or even ten years from now?"_

"_No, not really," he shrugged._

"_Then how do you know that what you're doing right now is going to make you happy in the future?"_

_John looked at Colby and slowly shook his head. "You are way too serious for your age."_

"_No, not serious, just determined to make something of myself and not to hurt anyone along the way."_

_Realizing the conversation had gotten a little too thoughtful for his taste and current well being, John began talking about the stupid things that he and his fellow wrestlers did the night before._

_One person who couldn't let their conversation go, however, was Randy who had been at the doorway of the kitchen. He couldn't help the smile that had made its way across his handsome features when he had heard Colby say that she was falling for him. Nor could he help that it quickly disappeared when she had given John the reason why she wouldn't allow herself to be in a relationship with him. Sure, he wanted a wife and kids, but quite frankly, he wanted Colby more. All he had to now was convince her of that._

**February 14, 2008**

Randy sat, staring at the blank TV screen in his bedroom. It was nine o'clock in the morning but he had been up since nearly five and he just couldn't get back to sleep. It was a very special day for him and he was filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. He was going up to Macomb, Illinois to ask Colby to be his girlfriend. Granted he hadn't seen her since New Year's Day and nothing was ever said about the events of the night before that, but he just couldn't let his feelings go hidden any longer.

He glanced up at the clock and noticed that only five minutes had passed. He knew that Colby didn't get out of her classes until around four and it would only take him about two hours to get there. He sighed, trying to figure out what to do with the remaining four hours in between. Randy was just getting up after making the decision to go to the gym and get a quick workout in when he heard his cell phone ring from the nightstand. He retrieved it and flipped it open once he saw the name flashing on the front.

"Hey, Cena, what's up?"

"Dude, have you heard from C yet today?"

"No, why?" Randy asked. He didn't like the tone of John's voice. Something was wrong.

"Fuck. Orton, you need to call her right away and make sure she's okay."

"What are you talking about, Cena? Why wouldn't she be okay?"

"I'm on my way to the gym and I heard on the radio that there was a shooting at an Illinois university."

"Which one was it, John? Was it Western?" Randy's heart was beating a thousand miles a minute.

"I don't know, Randy. I didn't catch it. Some idiot next to me was blaring his music for all of fucking Boston to hear. All I know is that around six people have been confirmed dead and so many other injured.

"Alright, Cena. I'm gonna call her."

"Let me know as soon as you get a hold of her."

Randy ended his call with John and dialed Colby's number but it just went straight to voicemail. Instinct kicked in and he grabbed his bag that he had packed for the trip and ran downstairs, picking up the keys to his Escalade and his jacket. Two hours, twenty unanswered phone calls and one speeding ticket later, Randy arrived in Macomb to find it relatively calm. It was a bit busier than the last time he was here due to the fact that classes were going on. He felt slightly relieved but couldn't get over the fact that he still couldn't get in contact with the eighteen year old. He opened his phone and pressed redial and was shocked to hear it actually ring. "Come on, Colby. Pick up."

"Hello?" Randy sighed in relief as he heard Colby's voice come over the phone.

"Oh my God, Colby. I've been trying to get a hold of you all day. Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just tell me where you are."

"I'm in my dorm room."

"Okay, well, meet me downstairs. I'll be there in about two minutes."

"You're in town? Why?"

"I'll explain when I get there. Just meet me downstairs," he said and hung up the phone.

Randy ran his hand over his face as he drove down the main drag to the driveway of Colby's dorm room. As soon as he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Colby standing outside in her winter coat, trying to shield herself from the cold February wind. He hurriedly jumped out, shoving the door closed behind him and ran to her, enveloping her in a hug as soon as he reached her.

"Randy, what's going on? Why are you here?" she asked, completely baffled that not only was he right in front of, but also acting rather insane.

"John called and told me that there was a shooting at a university in Illinois. It wasn't here was it?" he questioned, pulling away.

"No. I haven't heard anything about it. I've been in class all morning. I just got out."

"Well, I don't want you to going to you afternoon classes. I just want to stay up in your room with you and know that you're okay."

"I guess I can do that considering that my last two professors canceled their classes today. But why would you drive all of the way up here?"

"I tried calling but your phone went straight to voicemail. I immediately began thinking the worst so I picked up my bag, got in the car and drove. I had to have called you at least twenty times. I was so scared for you, Colby. I don't know what I would've done if anything would've happened to you."

"Wait a minute. Your bag? How long are you staying?"

"Just a couple of days. I have a show on Sunday that I have to fly out for that morning. I had planned on coming up and surprising you today anyway because there's something that I really wanted to talk to you about. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Randy. You know you're always welcome here. Let's head upstairs. I have someone I want you to meet," she told him before grabbing his hand and walking to his Escalade and grabbing his bag and then heading upstairs to her room.

She led him down the hall to her door that was slightly ajar. She opened it the rest away and went in followed by Randy who immediately noticed another presence in the room. A guy, probably about twenty years old, was lounging on Colby's bed watching the TV where the news was covering the story of the university shooting.

"Hey, Colby," he spoke, not looking up at her or her guest. "Did you know there was a shooting up at Northern? They say that six have been killed and several more have been injured."

"No, but I do have someone I want you to meet," Colby said, causing him to look up at her. "Brad, this is Randy Orton. Randy this is Brad Jenkins, my boyfriend."

* * *

**Okay, so for a while I was really stuck on what to do next with this and I finally realized that I need to skip ahead a bit to make this story work. So, hopefully, this will all tide you over until next time. **

**Also, I want to say that February 14 was the day of the Northern Illinois University shooting and I remember that like it was yesterday. There was widespread panic about it. It's something that I felt belonged in this story in order to bring Colby and Randy even closer together. **

**I want to thank punkydiva17, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, wrestlenascargirl, Sandra Moore7474, Medieval Mystic, giftiebee, CapriceCC, ShannonMooreFan, Rated-R-For-Randomness, Leslove4me, Recco101, heart2handgun and makeitreal12 for reviewing chapter nineteen. Thanks a lot guys!**

**Until next time, which will hopefully be sooner than this time, **

**Keep it rockin'**

**-Gabby-**

**P.S. This past weekend I went to St. Louis for a signing with Randy and also for a Supershow. I just posted pics from both of those events on my myspace if you want to check those out!**


	21. Mistakes

Chapter Twenty-One: Mistakes

Randy looked from Colby to Brad in confusion. Did she just say boyfriend? They had talked on the phone since New Year's. Why didn't she say anything about this? He was breaking down inside, but he couldn't let it show. He put his hand out to shake Brad's. "You're one lucky guy. Colby's a great girl."

"Yeah, I know," Brad replied, snaking his arm around Colby's waist before kissing her cheek, completely ignoring Randy's hand.

Randy raised his eyebrows. This guy wasn't making that good of an impression. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the caller ID. John. "Excuse me for just a minute," he said and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. "Hey, Cena."

"What the fuck, Orton? You were supposed to call me as soon as you heard from C! You have heard from her, haven't you?"

"I'm with her, John. She's fine. As a matter of fact, she's perfect now that she has a new boyfriend," Randy said as he began to wander down the hall.

"What? Did you finally ask her out?"

"Didn't get the chance to. I was coming up here today to ask her and when I got here, she introduced me to this Brad guy."

"Are you fucking serious? I've talked to that girl over and over about this and she goes off and gets with someone else? That's a bunch of shit!"

"I know. And when I met him, he wouldn't even shake my hand! I tell you Cena, I don't have a good feeling about this guy. I really don't."

"I understand what you mean, but are you sure you just don't like him because he's not you?"

"No…well, maybe a little, but what really made me think like this is that the fucker wouldn't shake my hand. Instead, he put his arm around Colby and kissed her. Now, I know I'm not the best when it comes to relationships, but I can read body language. He felt threatened by me. I know that thy can't have been dating for any more than a month and if he's already threatened by me and that possessive over her, then she needs to get away from him as soon as possible."

"I know, Randy. Look, I'll try to talk to her about it, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks, man."

"No problem. By the way, was that shooting even at C's school?"

"No, it was at Northern Illinois University."

"My bad, Orton."

"It's not a big deal, John. I'll just make sure to send you the bill for my speeding ticket," Randy smiled as he began to walk back to Colby's room.

"Yeah, whatever. Listen, I'll talk to you later. Tell C I'll call her."

"Alright, man. Bye," Randy said and hung up. He reached Colby's room and walked in to find her alone. "Sorry about that. John was pissed at me for not calling him when I found out you were okay."

"It's okay. I guess I should be grateful that I have so many people who care so much about me," she smiled as she walked over and gave him a hug.

"Where'd Brad go?" he asked when they pulled away from each other.

"Oh, he had class, but I told him that since you came all the way up here that you and I are just going to hang out tonight."

"You didn't have to cancel your plans on my account."

"We didn't really have plans. Just you know, chill and maybe watch a movie. But tonight, his friends are getting together to play poker so he said he could go do that."

"So, umm…" Randy began as he sat down on the bed, and she next to him. "How long have you guys been dating? We've talked quite a few times since New Year's and you never said anything."

"We've been going out for two weeks now. I met him in my Communications class that I'm taking and we just immediately hit it off. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's just, I really didn't know how you would take it."

"Colby, you know all I want is for you to be happy. And if you're happy with him, then that's all that matters," he lied. Sure, he did want her to be happy, but with him, not Brad.

"Thanks Randy," she gave him a lopsided grin. "That really means a lot to me."

"Okay, enough of that. What are we doing tonight?"

"Wait a minute. Didn't you say you had something to talk to me about?"

"Yeah, but it's no big deal." It was a big deal…until he walked into that dorm room.

"Apparently it was if you had to drive all the way up here instead of just talking to me about it over the phone."

He couldn't say anything about his original train of thought when he decided to make the drive to Macomb, but there was something he had been planning to ask her along with that. Randy walked over to his bag and began searching for the envelope that he had stashed away. He soon found it and handed it to her.

Colby gave him an inquisitive look before slowly grabbing it from his outstretched hand. "What is this?"

"I guess you'll have to open it and find out," he said and sat back on the bed beside her.

She opened the envelope and her eyes grew wide in shock as she pulled out two tickets and two backstage passes. "These are for Wrestlemania!"

Randy nodded. "And you can bring Lauren along if you'd like."

"Oh my God, Randy! Thank you so much," she squealed in excitement and threw her arms around him.

He smiled to himself as he felt her warm boy touching his and her fresh perfume wafting through the air surrounding him. "No problem, sweetheart."

She pulled away and stared down at the tickets that were still in her hand. "Wait a minute. It's in Orlando. There's no way Lauren or I are going to have the money for plane tickets."

"Already taken care of. As is your hotel room. Trust me when I say that this trip won't cost you or Lauren a single penny."

"There's no way we can expect you to pay for everything. We're going to want to go shopping and get souvenirs. I mean, there's no way you can do that."

"I can and I will. Don't you worry your pretty little head about anything, okay? Now, what are we doing tonight?"

A small smile appeared on her face as she made her way over to her closet. "I was saving these for the next time we hung out. Little did I know it would be sooner than I thought," she said, rummaging through the bottom of the closet before finally pulling out a box that was still taped up from being sent in the mail. She ripped off the tape, opening the box up and taking out two DVDs and handing them to Randy.

A smirk crossed his face as he looked at each of them; Backlash 2004 and Summerslam 2004. "How long have you had these?"

"A couple of weeks or so. I listened to one of your interviews and you said that your hardcore match with Mick Foley was one of your favorites, so I thought I'd check that out and then, of course when you became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion ever. I just figured that maybe it'd be fun to watch together."

"Yeah. That sounds great. But how about we get some food first. I'm starving," Randy said as his stomach let out an abnormally loud growl.

"I'd say so," she laughed as they threw on their jackets and made their way down to Randy's Escalade. As she was climbing into the passenger seat, Colby's eyes caught sight of a white piece of paper. She noticed the Illinois State Police seal on it and picked it up. "What's this?" she asked as Randy slid into the driver's seat.

"Oh, that's my speeding ticket I got on my way up here," he smiled sheepishly.

"You got a speeding ticket? How fast were you going?"

"95 in a 65 zone."

"Randy!" she said, hitting him in the arm. "You did NOT need to be going that fast, especially for me."

He looked over at her as he put the key in the ignition. "I don't think you realize that I'd do anything for you."

* * *

A few hours later, Colby and Randy sat on her bed, watching Summerslam 2004. They had watched the first couple of matches; one being the first ever 'Til Death Do Us Part' match between Matt Hardy and Kane who were fighting over Lita.

Colby watched intently as the match ended and the cameras cut to a backstage interview between Todd Grisham and Randy.

"_Well, I think we are shocked at what just happened. Kane beating Matt Hardy; Lita has got to be upset. No she's…" Todd began as Randy interrupted him. _

"_Upset? Todd, Todd, why would anyone be upset? Okay? Tonight is a night for celebration. Summerslam 2004 is going to go down in history, okay? Because one of the most talented, one of the youngest, most charismatic, and best-looking WWE Superstars is going to ascend to greatness tonight. Tonight will be…" Randy trailed off as his eyes caught something or rather someone off in the distance. That someone happened to be John Cena. _

"_The night that the franchise opened shop on Booker T's ass," John finished for Randy. "And we doin' big business right here in Toronto. Thanks for the introduction, bro, you just called me the youngest, best-looking, most charismatic Superstar in the WWE," he said before turning to Todd. "Hey Randy Jr., see to it he gets some wristbands, a visor, we gonna get you some merch, you're gonna look nice. But I'm a fan of yours, too. And I know you got fans out there. We gonna see how many fans you got out there. Yo, T-doc, can you hear me? Do ya'll like Randy Orton?"_

_In response the crowd booed as John looked back at Randy who was staring him down. "Ooh, not so good. I'm gonna try another one; I'm gonna try another one. Yo, T-doc, tonight, is Randy Orton gonna beat Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship?" Again, the audience booed. "OOOH! Well, at least you got the people behind ya. AHA!" John said before disappearing out of view. _

_Todd cautiously brought the microphone back to his lips. "Well, Randy, I think the crowd has spoken. They don't think…" but once again Randy interrupted him. _

"_Todd, I don't care what a bunch of ass-backwards Canadians think and I sure as hell don't care what John Cena has to say. Quite frankly, I find it rather pathetic that Cena had to interrupt my interview to get a little bit of airtime. Because there is nobody, nothing more important than Randy Orton, okay? Now, tonight, not only am I going to beat Chris Benoit, but I'm going to make history. I'm going to leave the Air Canada Centre the youngest World Heavyweight Champion, ever."_

"Wow. I can't believe John was actually like that. I could tell you were trying not to laugh," Colby said to Randy but received no answer.

She looked back to see that her counterpart had fallen asleep, his head leaning against the wall. She smiled slightly and turned off the TV. As she was covering Randy up with a light blanket, her cell phone sounded throughout the room and she hurried to answer so as not to wake the WWE Champion.

"Hello?"

"Hey, C. What's going on?" John asked as she smiled once again.

"Not much. I was actually just watching you."

"Really? You got a camera on me?"

Colby shook her head and laughed. "Oh, yeah, I saw you wearing your little plastic title belt around and playing with your blow up girlfriend."

"Shut up. You know I wasn't. However, I don't think I thanked you for that Patriots jersey you sent me to replace those foolish gifts. So, thank you."

"Not a problem, John."

"Seriously, though, you were watching me?"

"Yeah, Randy and I were watching a couple of wrestling DVDs I ordered from Amazon, but then he fell asleep."

"Good, because there's something that I want to talk to you about without him hearing."

"What's that?" she asked, even though she already had a pretty good idea.

"What's up with this new boyfriend of yours? I thought you said that you were falling for Randy."

"John…I told you why I can't get involved with Randy as far as dating goes. It would break his heart," she replied as she walked out to the hall and into the stairwell.

"You're already breaking his heart, C."

"I know, but this will hurt less than if we got together and couldn't make it."

"But at least then, you will know that you two gave it a shot. I mean, how hard do you think it is for him knowing that you're not even willing to give it a chance?"

"What do you expect me to do, John? Just go and break up with Brad because you said so?"

"You shouldn't even be with him, Colby! I know he's just an excuse for you not to be with Randy and to tell you the truth, that's pretty damn low," John told her, getting rather frustrated.

"How dare you say that to me? For your information, I really do like Brad and he's not just an excuse for me not being with Randy. I would never do that. And if you think that I would then you sure as hell aren't the friend I thought you were. First and foremost, I have to think about what's best for me, for once. You realize the last time that I did that? Almost three years ago, before I started dating Elijah. And you know what? I don't think it's best for me to be worrying about a serious relationship with Randy while he's out on the road and then when he is home and we do get to see each other, I'd have to worry about the pressure that he would probably be putting on me to get married and have kids and everything that he's ready for and I'm not. I'm sorry, John, but it's just not going to happen," Colby said, her face heating up from the anger she was feeling.

"Look, C. I'm not trying to make you mad or to argue with you. And if you have feelings for this Brad guy, then…whatever. I'm just trying to make you realize what you're giving up."

"I have never doubted that Randy is a great guy. I just don't think he's the right one for me. He'll get over it and move on with someone who is ready for the same things that he is."

"I can guarantee you, he won't get over it. He thinks you guys are soul mates. As a matter of fact, his whole plan today was to come up there and ask you to be his girlfriend."

Colby's breath caught in her throat. "I really did break his heart, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did. The sad part about it is that you've already said that you're not going to do anything about it."

They line was silent for a good minute and a half; Colby taking in John's words and he hoping that she might've changed her mind.

"Look, C, I gotta go. I have a signing first thing in the morning tomorrow. I'll talk to you later."

She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to him as the line went dead. She sighed and walked back into her room to see that Randy was still sleeping soundly. She changed into a pair of sweatpants and laid down beside him wondering if she had made the wrong decision.

* * *

**Here's chapter twenty-one for you all! Sorry it took me a while. I've been hella busy lately with school and work and a bunch of other stuff. **

**Thanks to punkydiva17, heart2hangun, kimgray, littleone999, giftiebee, Recco101, gurl42069, Westfan, SandraMoore7474, VolcomStoneBabe, Blazing Glory, CapriceCC, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, Medieval Mystic, Wwe Revealed, Rated-R-For-Randomness and VASHORTYGIRL for reviewing chapter twenty! Whoo, eighteen reviews last time! I know I couldn't say them all in one breath. Let's keep these kind of numbers up! Make sure to review!**

**Until next time, **

**Keep it rockin'**

**-Gabby-**


	22. Heart Break

Chapter Twenty-Two: Heart Break

She let out a deep sigh as she blankly stared at his bags that say beside the door. The last couple of days had not only flown by, but had plagued her with the conversation that she had had with John. She felt bad for ruining Randy's purpose for coming and seeing her, but she just knew that it was the best thing for the both of them if they just stayed friends. There were so many things that he had admitted he was ready for that she knew she wasn't. Kids, marriage...She still had at least three years left of college. That should be her main focus. And Brad, he was in the same boat as her. A freshman in college, looking to make something of himself.

The way she looked at it, Brad Jenkins was perfect for her. He understood that she was a hopeless romantic at heart; doing all the little things that tugged at her heartstrings like holding the car door open for her, holding her hand in public, pulling out her chair at the restaurant. She was loving ever single minute of it. There was no way John was right about her relationship with Brad. She really did like him. And as far as she could tell, he liked her.

"Hey, are you alright?" She was pulled away from her thoughts as a big tattooed arm found its place around her shoulders. "You have just been kind of spacing out."

"I just wish you didn't have to leave," Colby said, spinning around and wrapping her arms around Randy's waist.

He sighed against her before pulling away and leading her to the edge of the bed. "Believe me, Colby, I don't want to leave either. I would love nothing more than to stay here with you cramped in this insanely small room," he smiled as she sat down and he knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. "But just think…in a month and a half you and Lauren will be with me and John in bright, sunny Orlando."

"I won't get to see you before then?" she asked, her gray eyes darkening with sadness.

"I'm afraid I'm booked. Wrestlemania is our busiest time of the year. It's our Super Bowl. I'm swamped with interviews and signings, not to mention our normal schedule. But just remember that if you need to talk, I'm only a phone call away."

"I know. It's just hard not seeing you very much. I guess I got spoiled with us being snowed in here and then later when you and John spent Christmas with me and my family."

"Well, how's this sound? On your Spring Break, you can come on the road with me and that's all it will be…me and you. Except for the occasional Cena. Okay?"

She nodded slightly as tears sprung to her eyes.

"Aww…sweetheart don't cry," he said, softly brushing a piece of her raven hair behind her ear. "Tell you what, I'm going to give you a homework assignment. And I'll do it, too. Everyday you and I are going to take three pictures and we're going to send them to each other. Then every night I'm going to call you and we'll tell each other about those pictures along with other stuff."

A small smile crept across her face as she realized how ridiculously cheesy this "assignment" was.

"That smile tells me that you think this is stupid and you're considering not doing it," he said, an eyebrow arched over his baby blue eyes.

"Well, you're half right. I do think this is just a little cheesy, but I'm going to do it."

"Good. Now, as sad as I am to say this, I have to hit the road or else I'm going to miss my flight tonight."

She nodded once again as he got up from his kneeling position before scouring the room, searching for anything he might have missed. Satisfied with the fact that he had all of his belongings packed away, he threw on his coat and picked up his bags. "You don't have to walk me down if you don't want to," he said, throwing a bag over his shoulder.

"No, I'll walk you down," she replied, throwing on her coat as well. They walked down the ten flights of stairs in silence, both relishing the last few minutes they had in each other's presence before they would be separated for nearly two months.

Much to both of their dismays, the walk to the ground floor seemed much shorter than it had in the past. As they reached the door, Randy turned to Colby and wrapped his muscular arms around her. "Just remember warm, sunny Orlando. And I expect three pictures tonight."

"Okay, I'll make sure you get them," she said, her face pressed up against his rock hard chest.

"Good. I have to go now. I'll call you tonight when I land." He kissed the top of her head and walked out the door to his car. After putting his bags in the backseat, he turned around and gave her a somber wave which she returned.

As he climbed into the driver's seat and closed the door, he glanced back to the entrance of the dorm and saw that she was still standing there, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes diverted down to her Chuck Taylor's. He quickly retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and snapped a picture with the camera. He put it in a text message and underneath it, put a caption…

"A picture that makes my heart break."

* * *

**March 28, 2008**

**11:00 P.M.**

Randy smiled to himself as he looked at the last of the three pictures that Colby had sent him for the day. It was one of her on the plane to Orlando looking peacefully out the window. He guessed that Lauren had taken it, but that Colby was definitely the one who had sent it with the caption "daydreaming of when I land and see you."

"Dude, are you okay? You're smiling like an idiot."

Randy looked up from his phone to John who sat in the seat next to them in the airport as they waited for Colby and Lauren's plane to land. "Yeah, man. I'm fine. Just excited for her to be here."

"Me too, Orton, because hopefully this weekend you'll be able to prove to her that you're the one that she should be with and not this other douche bag that she's with now," John replied, pulling his ball cap down a little bit further over his eyes.

The WWE Champion rolled his eyes and shook his head. "John, that's not with this weekend is for. This trip is for us to have a good time, not to convince her to break up with this Brad guy. I'm just going to go on acting like I normally do and…that's that. It's going to be up to her. I'm not going to try and make her decisions. I mean, if I started acting differently around her, she'd know something was up and I don't want this weekend to be awkward."

John didn't say anything, just nodded. He had never told his friend that he had let Colby onto the fact that on Valentine's Day, Randy's sole purpose was to go to Macomb and ask Colby out. And judging by the actions of his fellow Superstar the last month and a half, Colby hadn't said anything either.

"Flight 193 from St. Louis has now arrived at Gate 11," a woman announced over the loud speaker.

"That's them," Randy said with a smile.

"Yeah, I know. You've only told me their flight plan about a million times today," Cena replied, pointedly, but his friend wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, Randy had moved to the gate that Colby would soon be walking through.

John let out a deep sigh. It wasn't that he wasn't looking forward to Colby coming. It was just that they hadn't spoken since the phone call on Valentine's Day. He wasn't sure whether she would still be a little angry with him because of what he had said to her about her new relationship. He slowly began to move toward the gate as he saw Randy wrap his arms around a small figure.

"I'm so glad you're here," Orton said, lifting Colby off the ground in his strong embrace.

"I'm glad to be here," John heard her muffled response before Randy put her down. "There's something I need to tell you though."

"Well, that can wait until we get out of this airport. Where's Lauren? Did she come?"

John hadn't seen his friend so excited in a long time, but he had a feeling Randy's bubble was about to be burst as a kid about nineteen walked through the gate and made a beeline for the gray-eyed teenager.

Randy's eyes diverted over Colby's head and immediately spotted Brad. John noticed his friend's jaw clench before looking back down at Colby.

"Lauren couldn't come," she spoke softly. "Something came up. I'll explain more later, okay?"

Randy said nothing, but nodded as Colby looked at John who stood with his arms crossed, his sapphire eyes darkened in disappointment. But he quickly tried to mask it. "How you doin', C?"

"I'm alright, John. You?"

He just shrugged and glanced over to where Brad was standing. "You going to introduce me?"

She silently waved Brad over and he soon took his place by her side. "John, this is Brad Jenkins, Brad this is John Cena."

Brad looked up at the slightly taller man and nodded. "Nice to meet you, John."

John stared at him for a minute, before sticking out his hand. "You too."

"Well, you ready to head out?" Brad asked Colby, grabbing her hand.

"Hold on a minute," John said, grabbing the shoulder of Brad's shirt with the hand that wasn't still held out for a handshake. "I don't know where you come from, but when you come around the big boys, you shake their hands."

"John, don't…" Colby began, attempting to interfere before John cut her off.

"No, C. This is about respect. I live my life by respect. Now, either he shakes my hand or I'm gonna have to beat some respect into him."

Colby stared at John in disbelief. What the hell had gotten into him? She looked up at Brad. "You don't have to do this. Let's just go get Randy and head to the hotel."

"No, Colby. He's right," Brad said with a small smile and extended his hand to meet John's. "Sorry about that, man. Don't know where my head's at."

John just responded with a nod and headed back over to Randy to get ready to make their way to the hotel.

* * *

Randy collapsed on the bed with a frustrated sigh. How come nothing ever went the way is was supposed to? Wrestlemania weekend was supposed to be one of the most exciting time of the year, even more so this year. He was retaining his championship in a triple threat match against John and Hunter. Colby was there with him. But there was always one little kink in the chain…and it went by the name of Brad Jenkins.

Randy had hoped for at least a little bit of one on one time with Colby, but now with her new boyfriend there, he knew that was going to be close to impossible. He flopped a pillow over his face and let out a low growl of frustration.

"Keep that up and maybe I'll get that title due to a dead Orton," he heard John's voice before the pillow was ripped from his face.

The WWE Champion ignored his friend's comment and sat up in the bed. "How did this weekend get so fucked up?"

"It got fucked up because _she_ fucked it up by bringing that douche bag. I mean, the girl must've lost her goddamn mind," John told him, tossing the pillow on Randy's bed.

"I'm sure there's a good explanation why she brought him of all people. She said that something came up with Lauren and that she'd explain it later."

"Dude, stop making excuses for her. She fucked up! Believe me, I love the girl, but someone needs to kick her in the ass for choosing all these losers to date."

Randy was about to reply, but was cut off by a knock at the door. "If that's her, she better not have heard a damn word you said, because if she did, I swear I'll kill you," he growled as John rolled his eyes and the knock sounded again.

Sure enough, when Randy opened the door, Colby was standing there with a small smile on her face. "Hey," she said, simply.

"Hey, I thought you'd be in bed by now."

"Well, I was waiting for Brad to go to sleep before I came to talk to you."

He nodded and stepped out into the hall, closing the door to his and John's room behind him. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Come on, Randy. Don't play stupid. I saw the look on your face when you realized it was Brad that was with me instead of Lauren."

"Yeah, that was a little bit of a shock."

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I found out about a week ago that Lauren wasn't able to come, but I figured I would just surprise you with it just being me. Brad, however, had a different idea. He was my ride to the airport in St. Louis. When we got there, I went to get my bags out of the trunk and his were there too. He said that I don't need to be going to Orlando alone. Unfortunately, I hadn't cancelled Lauren's ticket, so I had no choice but to let him come," she said, pausing to look down at her hands. "I understand if you're angry."

"I'm not angry, Colby," Randy said, wrapping his arms around her.

"What about John?"

The question proved to Randy that Colby hadn't heard what his best friend had said. And for that, he was grateful. "I wouldn't say John's angry. More like…intense. Don't worry about him, though. He's always like this around Wrestlemania."

"So he's gonna be like this all weekend?" Colby asked, frowning as she pulled away from Randy's embrace.

"Yeah, pretty much," he told her, seriously. "But we'll just steer clear of him for the most part. Now, tomorrow is the Hall of Fame ceremony and we need to get you a dress so you should probably get some sleep."

Colby wasn't going to waste her breath trying to argue with Randy about getting a dress. She would put up a fight the next day, albeit one that she would most definitely lose.

"Goodnight, Randy," she said and stood up on her tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek which barely made it to his jawbone.

"Goodnight, Colby." He watched her as she walked down the hall a couple of doors down to her room and disappeared.

He turned around to his own room and was surprised when he found the door that he knew he had closed, to be slightly ajar. He pushed it open the rest of the way and spotted John lying in his bed, pretending to be interested in the sports scores that were being shown on ESPN. Randy could tell by John's slightly heavy breathing that he had just run to the bed after listening to the conversation that had just taken place in the hallway.

"What'd she have to say?" John asked, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.

"Cut the shit, Cena. I know you were standing by the door," Randy said, before falling back onto his own bed.

John opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it as he knew he had been caught. He turned off the TV and pulled his t-shirt over his head. He looked over to say one last remark to his friend, but noticed he was fast asleep. John shook his head and lied back onto his pillow, pulling the covers over him. Tomorrow was just the beginning of the biggest weekend of the year and he hoped, for both his and Randy's sake, that it went better than today.

* * *

**I have a confession to make to those who read my blog on myspace. I know I said that this chapter would contain a lot of excitement…well, I lied. I figured out that there would be no way I could fit the whole Wrestlemania weekend into one chapter, but I'm telling the truth when I say that excitement I promised for this chapter will be in the next one. **

**Thanks to Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, punkydiva17, The Niki Reid, heart2handgun, ashley, CapriceCC, Medieval Mystic, giftiebee, Sandra Moore7474, Recco 101, Rated-R-For-Randomness, foreverafan15 and ChIllInOuTgIrL5643 for reviewing chapter twenty-one. **

**Until next time, **

**Keep it Rockin'**

**-Gabby-**

**P.S. Did anyone else find Jeff Hardy extremely creepy and sexy at the same time tonight on Smackdown? Because I sure as hell did. **


	23. Crystal Clear

Chapter Twenty-Three: Crystal Clear

"Is it bad to just want to completely knock someone on their ass even if you don't know them?"

Randy just shook his head at his best friend. Even thought he wanted, deep down, to tell John that it was indeed wrong to want to do such a thing, he was feeling the exact same way as they eyed the young couple across the store from them. Brad had his hands under the hem of Colby's tank top, exposing her bare back, all the while kissing her neck as she tried to sort through the rack of dresses in front of her.

Randy felt sick to his stomach. Having to sit back and watch this public display of lust rather than affection was pushing him to the brink of losing his barely eaten breakfast.

"This is more disgusting than when Mae Young gave birth to a hand," John commented, his lips curling in repulsion.

"Will you just shut up?" Randy asked, annoyed. "I'm sure she can hear your loud ass mouth."

"Don't even begin to tell me that you don't find this nauseating, Orton."

"I do, John," he replied through gritted teeth. There was nothing that he found more gut-wrenching than having to sit in a dress shop with Cena and having to watch Brad hang all over Colby like white on rice while she looked for a dress for the Hall of Fame ceremony that night. "I just have enough common sense not to say that shit loud enough for the whole damn store to hear."

"Whatever, Orton. You just wish you didn't have common sense so you would be able to say stuff as freely as I do."

Randy glared at his counterpart. "That made no sense. Why would I not want to have common sense?"

John stopped to think about what he was going to say next but never got to say anything as Colby walked up to them with a few dresses in her arms. But the most noticeable thing about her was that she was alone.

Randy's demeanor did a complete one-eighty as he stood up, smiling. "Did you find something?"

"Yeah, a couple of things actually. But I'm kind of torn between the two of these."

"Well, go try them on and Cena and I will help you decide."

John snorted as Colby nodded and walked to the dressing room. "More like Orton will put the damn dress on you," he said, making no attempt at being quiet.

"You know I hate you, right?" Randy asked, sitting back down, but not before giving his friend a swift smack in the back of the head.

A half an hour later, Colby had decided on a dress and Randy had paid for it after quite an argument from Colby about the whole thing. They were walking out of the store when a question popped into Randy's head.

"Where did Brad go?" Like he really cared. He was actually rather enjoying Brad's absence.

"Oh, he went back to the hotel. This really isn't his kind of thing," she replied, climbing into the passenger seat of Randy's rental.

"I guess we seem like ribbon and lace kind of guys, Orton," John joked, causing Colby to laugh.

But her laughter quickly subsided when she caught sight of the time on the radio. "Umm…Randy? What time did you say the limo was picking us up?"

"Six o'clock. Why?"

"Because it's already a quarter after five. We have a full forty five minutes to get back to the hotel, get ready and meet the limo."

"Shit," Randy muttered before speeding off toward the hotel. They managed to make it back in a record fifteen minutes. As they were heading up to their floor, Colby made the decision to just get ready in Randy and John's room and then first one done would run down the hall to get Brad.

It just so happened that the first one ready was Randy. He walked down the hall with Colby's card key in hand. He quickly unlocked the door, hoping that the little punk was ready so he didn't have to wait on him.

But Brad was far from ready. He wasn't even dressed…and neither was the girl that was in the bed beside him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Randy yelled as the girl in the bed tried to cover up. "Do you have any fucking clue what you have just done? You have fucked up the best thing you will ever have!"

Brad got out of the bed and pulled his jeans back on over his boxers (which Randy was thankful he still had on). "Please don't tell Colby, Randy. I'm begging you."

"You're fucking kidding me, right? You expect me not to tell her? You're fucking insane!" Randy said and turned on his heel to leave but stopped when he felt a tugging on his arm.

Was that little douchebag really trying to hold him back? Randy sighed angrily. He didn't have the time or the patience to deal with that shit. So he did what he knew best and spun back around and gave Brad a right hook to the jaw.

"Now, you listen to me, you little shit," Randy said, squatting down to make eye contact with Brad who had fallen to the floor. "I want you to pack your bags and leave. I don't want to see your ass when we get back. Do you understand?"

Brad nodded as Randy stood back up and that's when he remembered the girl. "And if you were smart, you'd get your skanky ass out of here, too."

Randy slammed the door behind him and quickly made the decision to wait to tell Colby until after the Hall of Fame ceremony. He hurried to think of an excuse for why Brad wasn't with him as he neared his room once again.

The door opened right as he stood in front of it and everything that had just happened no longer existed. How could it when the most beautiful being ever stood right in front of him? She was dressed in a gold and lace Carmen Marc Valvo gown that hugged her petite frame's every curve. Her raven hair was curled around her gorgeous face and her gray eyes were sparkling like never before.

"You look beautiful, Colby," Randy commented giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Randy, but where's Brad?" she asked and looked down the hall for her boyfriend.

"He…uh…wasn't feeling too well so he decided to stay behind. Is Cena ready? We really need to get going."

"Right here," John said, appearing in the doorway.

"Alright. Then let's go," Colby smiled as she and John came out into the hallway.

"You do look really great, C," John complimented.

"Thank you, but I do have to say I'm going to be the envy of all the girls tonight being on the arms of the two hottest wrestlers today."

"Well, you have that half right. I know I'm hot, but I'm not so sure about Orton," John smiled, causing Colby to laugh.

Seeing the smile on Colby's face made Randy's decision even more definite. He would wait until after the ceremony. There was no way he was going to be the one to wipe that smile off her face. He would let her dear boyfriend do that by not being in the room when she returned. Then he would explain everything. Then everything would be as it should.

* * *

"Good Lord," Colby said, wiping the tears from her eyes as the trio climbed out of the limo back at the hotel. "You would think that since I've only been a fan for a few months that I wouldn't be so emotional about this whole Ric Flair thing."

"Well, it probably has to do with knowing us, too," Randy said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You're practically in the business now."

"Yeah, I guess so. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you guys which is why I'm surprised that you didn't stay for the after party."

"For one, tomorrow is Wrestlemania. There's no way we'll be able to perform at top level if we get hammered tonight," John told her.

"Plus you're here and you're not twenty-one. They card you here," Randy interjected.

"And I'm sure Brad wouldn't want you out partying with us," John said, rolling his eyes when he said Brad's name.

That's when it all came rushing back to Randy. Brad was no longer there and Colby was going to want to know why and he was the only person that knew.

John noticed Randy tense up and shot him a questioning look as they entered the elevator. The ride up to the eighth floor was silent as Randy still had his arm around Colby.

"I'll walk you to your room," Randy said once the elevator stopped at the correct floor. He knew he needed to be there for Colby once she saw that Brad was nowhere to be found. Not to mention, he had to tell her why.

Colby and Randy stopped in front of her door, both expecting John to walk on by down to his and Randy's room. But he didn't. Instead, he stood right next to Randy and looked at him with the same questioning look in his eyes that he had in the elevator.

While Colby was unlocking the door, Randy quickly mouthed the words "He's gone" to John who looked even more confused afterward.

"Oh my God," Colby said as she walked into her room. Randy and John quickly followed, expecting the room to be empty, but it wasn't. "What happened to your face?" she asked, rushing over to Brad who was sitting on the edge of the bed, nursing his jaw with an ice pack.

Randy froze in his tracks. This was going to go completely and utterly wrong. He gulped as he dreaded Brad's answer.

"I'll tell you what happened. Your friend Randy nailed me in the jaw with his fist," Brad spat.

Colby spun around and faced Randy, disbelief etched all over her young features. "Did you really hit him?"

Randy sighed before nodding his head. "Yeah, I did…but Colby, you have to understand why I did it," he tried to explain, but what was cut off.

"I'll tell you why he did it, babe," Brad interjected. "He wanted me to stay behind tonight so he could have you all to himself, but when I refused, this is what he did to me."

"That's bullshit, Colby! That is not how this all went down! You have to listen to me, Colby," Randy pleaded.

"But it all makes such perfect sense, Randy," she replied, placing her hands on her hips. "The moment I introduced you to Brad you became jealous because it ruined your plans."

"My plans?" Randy questioned. He had never told Colby the true intentions behind his trip to Macomb on Valentine's Day. How did she…

Cena.

Randy glanced over at his best friend who had made himself scarce by hiding by the door.

"Yeah, your plans," Colby continued. "The ones about asking me to be your girlfriend. Quite frankly, I'm glad you didn't get the chance to ask me because who knows what you would've done to me if I refused."

"Colby, I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that. I was just trying to protect you. Just like I was with Elijah."

"Really? Were you even trying to protect me then or were you just trying to get him out of the way so you could move in on me?"

"Please. Just hear me out," Randy said, his heart breaking into a billion pieces.

"No, Randy. How about you just get out? I don't want to see you. I don't want to hear from you ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

Randy glanced past Colby at Brad who was sitting on the bed with a smug grin on his face. "Crystal," Randy said, somberly before walking out the door and out of Colby's life.

* * *

**So who has missed Randy and Colby? I know I have. I really love writing this story; it's definitely my favorite. Hopefully now that I've gotten back into the swing of things, there will be a lot more updating going on. **

**Also, I will be posting a brand new story here before long and I will have a little sneak peek for that on my profile. So definitely check that out and let me know what you all think. **

**Thanks to kimgray, baybie, heart2handgun, SandraMoore7474, KimmieCena, alethea293, Medieval Mystic, foreverfan15, Twin, mcena99, punkydiva17, FOJtwilighter, Recco101, Rated-R-For-Randomness, AjRaven666, amandacena54 and MrsRKOCena for reviewing chapter 22. Sorry for the long wait, but hopefully this will make up for it. **

**Keep it rockin'**

**Gabby**

**Next update: You vote in your review for this chapter!**


	24. Missing Pieces

Chapter Twenty-Four: Missing Pieces

What was supposed to be one of the best days for Randy Orton was one of the worst. It was Wrestlemania. He was retaining his WWE Championship. That would be considered a career highlight for any professional wrestler.

But not for Randy.

He had woken up that morning with the idea to try and talk to Colby again. But as he stepped outside his hotel room, he nearly tripped over a package. A package which he would later find out held the dress Colby had worn the night before and the snowflake necklace Randy had given to her for Christmas. He had quickly tossed the box in the room and ran down all eight flights of stairs to the lobby to find out from the receptionist that Colby and Brad had checked out.

His first instinct was to run out of the hotel, catch a cab and see if he could make it to the airport in time to catch Colby. However, he was stopped by Vince McMahon himself who promptly reminded Randy about the pre-Wrestlemania meeting and also the consequences of not being present.

So, there he sat in the conference room of the hotel, not even listening to the pep talk that Vince was giving to the entire WWE roster. Before Randy could even comprehend what was happening, everyone around him had gotten up and began leaving the room. All except two.

Randy looked up and saw his opponents for the night standing on either side of him. "Hey, guys," he muttered softly.

"What's up with you, Orton?" Hunter asked, getting straight to the point. "I know you're not one who really enjoys these meetings, but you seem a little more out of it than usual."

"Nothing, man," Randy replied, looking down at the championship belt on his lap.

"I can see right through that bullshit, Orton," H told him. "Whatever is bothering you, you need to just put it out of your head for today. You need to have your head in the game or else someone could get seriously hurt."

"Please don't talk to me like I'm still a rookie, H. That's the last thing I need right now."

Hunter shook his head and turned to John who had been standing quietly. "You room with him…surely you know what's going on, right?"

John glanced at Randy who kept his eyes on his WWE title. "Sorry, H. I have no clue what's wrong, but I'll make sure he's got his head in the game before our match."

"He better because if someone gets hurt because of his lack of focus, he's gone," Hunter said before walking out of the conference room.

"I'm surprised you didn't tell him," Randy spoke once The Game was out of earshot. "You seem to like to blab the rest of my personal business."

"Listen, Orton. The only reason I told Colby about you wanting to ask her out is I wanted to convince her that she was making the wrong decision in dating Brad."

"And that worked out just swell, didn't it?" Randy asked, sarcastically.

"You can not blame all of this shit on me! You're the one that punched the asshole in the face!"

"The prick deserved it."

"By doing what? Dating the girl that you liked? Newsflash Randy, you could've asked her out before he did!"

"He was fucking cheating on her!" Randy yelled, standing up and getting in his best friend's face. "When I went to get him last night, he was with another girl! But neither you nor Colby bothered to ask about my side of the story. Some fucking friends you guys turned out to be," he finished before grabbing his championship belt that had fallen to the floor when he had stood up so abruptly. "I'll see you at the arena."

Randy walked past John and went straight up to the room and grabbed his bag. He got in his rental and drove to the Citrus Bowl, completely ignoring the fact that he was John's ride. As far as Randy was concerned, Cena could find his own fucking way.

* * *

She couldn't believe that everything had gone so horribly wrong. She knew that there would be some tense moments between Brad and Randy from the minute she found out that her boyfriend was coming with her, but she never would have thought that Randy would've punched Brad in the face.

"Are you gonna be okay, babe?" Brad asked from the seat next to Colby on the plane.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she reassured him. "I just never thought Randy would something like that."

"I know, sweetheart. But that's your problem. You trust people too easily. That and who knows what kind of steroids he's on. 'Roid rage probably took over."

"Randy's not on steroids. He'd lose his job. It would be his third strike and he's not that stupid."

"Colby, not everyone is an open book. A lot of people have secrets and Randy seems to be one of them. Just know that I will never do that to you, babe. There are no secrets between us," Brad smiled, kissing her cheek.

Colby nodded and smiled slightly. Brad would never do anything to hurt her. Not like Randy.

A couple of hours later, Colby and Brad's plane landed in St. Louis. She turned on her phone to call her mom when she noticed she had several new voicemails.

"Hey, Colby. It's Randy. I'm not trying to get you to come back. I just want to explain what happened. Please give me that opportunity."

Colby sighed and deleted the message before moving on to the next one.

"C, it's John. Give me a call when you get this."

Delete.

"Colby, honey, it's Mom. Randy just called and told me that you left early. He sounded really upset. Please call me whenever you land in St. Louis."

Of course Randy would call her mom. As far as Colby was concerned, Randy needed to mind his own damn business.

Delete.

"C, it's John again. You really need to hear Randy out. I made the mistake of just assuming and now he's pissed at me and has every reason to be. Just give him a chance, please."

Delete.

"Colby, it's Hunter."

Triple H? How did he even get her number? And why was he calling her? Surely Randy hadn't told him what happened. Then again, Randy wasn't exactly the person Colby thought he was.

"Listen, I need you to talk to Randy. He's completely out of it and I don't know why. I don't think anyone else can get through to him. I'm just concerned that if he doesn't have his full concentration tonight, he could cause someone else or even himself to get hurt. Please talk to him. Thanks."

Well, apparently Randy hadn't told him, but he wasn't hiding the fact that something was wrong. That wasn't like him. In the short few months that Colby had known Randy, he was very good at hiding his emotions when he didn't want others to figure out that something was wrong. Maybe there was a missing piece to the puzzle.

Colby momentarily considered calling Randy when Brad returned from baggage claim with their luggage.

"Hey, babe, is everything okay?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"As good as it can be," she replied with a small, fake smile.

"Come on, babe. You should be relieved that you found out early on what kind of person Orton is and that you severed all ties with him before something worse happened. Now you don't have to worry about someone constantly lying to you all the time."

Colby looked up at her boyfriend and was immediately reminded of what Randy had done to Brad which also happened to be the proof that Randy wasn't the person she thought he was. What if none of the people she had met through Randy were who she thought they were. Who was to say that every voice left on her phone, minus her mother's, wasn't just acting? After all, that's what they did for a living, more or less.

The bottom line was that Brad's version had every piece. There weren't any fallacies. Quite frankly, it made perfect sense. And regardless of what Randy's side of the story was, more evidence supported Brad's side. And that was the one she was going to believe.

* * *

John sighed before pushing the door to the locker room open. He knew he needed to apologize to his best friend but he was leery that even the simple act of bringing up the subject would bury Randy even deeper into the depression he had fallen into. But that was a chance John had to take.

He spotted Randy sitting in the corner the farthest away from the door, already dressed in his ring gear and staring blankly as he taped his wrists. "Hey, Orton," John said, sitting by his friend. Randy said nothing in response. As a matter of fact, he acted as though he hadn't even noticed the former WWE Champion sit beside him. "Look, I know you're pissed off right now and you have every right to be. I mean, me an you, we go way back, ya know? And I should have at least asked what really happened. So, I'm sorry, man."

"Ya know, Cena?" Randy finally spoke but still didn't look at his friend. "Maybe if this was the first time that you did this shit, I might not be so angry, but it's not. When Erica and I broke up, you immediately blamed everything on me. You assumed that I had cheated on her. I loved her, man! With all my heart and you thought I cheated on her. And now this whole deal with Colby. I love her with my whole being; mind, body and soul and you think I would just throw it all away because I'm supposedly jealous of some nineteen year old punk. I've made mistakes, Cena, and punching Brad was one of them, because I should've done a hell of a lot more if this is how it was going to end up. As for your apology, I accept but only because I don't need your shit weighing on my mind along with everything else I've got going on."

And with that, Randy tossed the roll of athletic tape in his bag before grabbing his WWE Championship and walking out of the locker room.

* * *

The Triple Threat match for the WWE Title went off without a hitch despite the outside situation running on repeat through Randy's mind. Truthfully, he had never been so relieved that Wrestlemania was over. All of his energy had been spent on trying to make things right with Colby. Even the retirement of his mentor, Ric Flair seemed somewhat insignificant compared to what he was going through.

"Good match out there, Orton," Hunter said as he came up behind Randy and clapped him on the shoulder. "Although you didn't really get much of that punt on me."

"Yeah, well, I can't be perfect all the time, can I?" Randy joked dryly attempting to make his former mentor believe that everything was fine.

"You got that right," Hunter laughed. "Oh, did you get a chance to talk to Colby?"

Randy's eyes quickly looked up at The Game's. "Should I have?"

"Well, yeah. I called her and asked her to talk to you because I knew something was bugging you. I figured that since you wouldn't tell anyone else, you'd talk to her. But judging by your reaction she never called." Randy sighed and looked away from his friend. "And judging by that," Hunter continued, "She's part of the problem."

"Listen, H, I don't want to talk about it, okay? I just want to go back to the hotel and crash for the night.I'll see you tomorrow," he said and walked away.

When Randy arrived at his room, he was thankful that John had not made it back yet. He didn't want to talk to anyone except Colby and he highly doubted that would happen. He collapsed on his bed, relieved that he had decided to take a shower before he left the arena. He was emotionally and physically drained. It felt like a piece of him had been ripped away when he found that Colby had left. Not to mention, that he was the reason for her departure.

He had just closed his baby blues due to his exhaustion when his phone rang. He groaned in frustration and pulled his cell from the pocke of his track pants. He glanced at the Caller ID and nearly dropped the phone in shock.

Colby.

* * *

**Thanks to RKOsgirl92, suspect tomatoes, foreverfan15, fairytink101, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, CapriceCC, HighflyinJeffHardy, Kristy721, DirtyRockDiva, littleone999, alethea293, JohnCenaFan and Rated-R-For-Randomness for reviewing chapter twenty three. Don't forget to review this chapter also. I love your guys' reviews so much!**

**Keep it rockin**

**Gabby**


	25. Problems and Solutions

Chapter Twenty Five: Problems and Solutions

When Randy arrived at his room, he was thankful that John had not made it back yet. He didn't want to talk to anyone except Colby and he highly doubted that would happen. He collapsed on his bed, relieved that he had decided to take a shower before he left the arena. He was emotionally and physically drained. It felt like a piece of him had been ripped away when he found that Colby had left. Not to mention, that he was the reason for her departure.

He had just closed his baby blues due to his exhaustion when his phone rang. He groaned in frustration and pulled his cell from the pocket of his track pants. He glanced at the Caller ID and nearly dropped the phone in shock.

Colby.

Randy quickly answered the call and before anyone on the other end could begin to talk, he spoke.

"Colby, I'm so glad that you decided to call me back. I just need you to hear me out. Brad is cheating on you. You can't trust him, sweetheart."

"Aww…how sweet. Too bad she'll never hear that from you," Brad laughed from the other end.

Randy's jaw immediately clenched upon hearing that punk's voice. "Why the fuck are you calling me?"

"Just to remind you one final time of what you don't have. Maybe someday after I'm done with her, Colby will come crawling back to you. That is, if she can get past how ashamed she'll feel because she didn't listen to you in the first place."

"Why the hell are you with her? You apparently don't care for her in any way. She deserves a hell of a lot more than that after what she's been through."

"Ah, you mean Eli King don't you? Her ex? From everything Colby has told me, he's a pretty horrible human being. Personally, I think he's cool as fuck. I mean, what other guy would recommend his ex-girlfriend for a good lay. Granted, it's taking a while longer than what he said it would, but I'm sure she's worth the wait."

"You stupid son of a bitch! I hop you fucking rot in Hell for this shit!" Randy yelled into the phone just as John walked through the door.

"Don't be so jealous, Orton. If you want, I can let you know how good she is."

Randy was at his breaking point. He couldn't take it anymore. He hung up the phone before putting his head in his hands.

"Do I dare ask who that was?" John questioned softly as he sat on his won bed.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him," Randy answered. "I'm gonna hunt his ass down and fucking kill him!" he said, throwing his phone against the opposite wall and watching it shatter into a dozen pieces.

"First thing you need to do, Orton, is calm down," John advised, patiently.

"Calm down," the Legend Killer laughed sarcastically. "I'm supposed to calm down when the girl that I love is being used as some kind of shared sex toy? You've got to be fucking kidding me, Cena! You expect me to just sit back and allow this whole thing to play out? I don't think so!"

"What are you talking about, Randy? Fill me in."

"Brad is buddies with Elijah! Elijah told him how "easy" Colby was. That's what Brad is after! The only thing! Now, tell me again to calm down."

"Calm down, Randy."

"I didn't mean it literally, Cena," he growled as he got up from his bed and began pacing the floor. "What am I gonna do? She won't talk to me if I call her."

"And you can't call her because you just demolished your phone," John added quietly.

"I didn't ask for your input."

"Then you should've picked a different roomie, because like it or not, you're my best friend and I'm not going to let you do something stupid over some girl."

"That's the thing, Cena. She's not just some girl. I LOVE HER! And I would go to the ends of the earth for her. I would battle the devil himself if it meant making her happy. So when some punk ass kid is using her for a good fuck, I tend to get a little upset."

"But see, Orton, the problem with this is she apparently doesn't feel that strongly toward you."

* * *

Brad smiled as he walked back in the Taylor house with Colby's phone. He had gotten to Orton, that he was certain. What made the phone call even more satisfying was that the WWE Champ could do absolutely nothing about the future plans that Brad had for Colby until they were already done.

"Did you get a hold of your parents?" Colby asked him as he sat down on the sofa beside her.

"Yeah, I did," he lied. "They said it would be fine if I stayed here. Thanks again Mr. and Mrs. Taylor for letting me crash here for the night."

"No problem, Brad," Anne said with a fake grin. There was no doubt that she didn't trust Colby's new boyfriend. He seemed WAY too perfect. And WAY too perfect was just shady.

Colby's dad said nothing, but rather just nodded in the direction of the couple on the sofa.

Colby could feel the tension in the room and excused herself and Brad to her room. She knew her parents didn't think much of her new beau. They held a sweet spot for Randy, hoping that one day Randy would show her how she's supposed to be treated. 'They need to get rid of that idea and quick. If they only knew what he has done,' she thought to herself.

"Are you alright, babe?" Brad asked as they sat on her bed.

"Fine. Just a little depressed is all," she muttered.

"Understandable," he replied before leaning in close to her. "But I know something that can make everything a whole lot better."

Before Colby knew it, she was lying on her back with Brad hovering over her and clothes coming off.

* * *

The next morning brought nothing but more depression for the WWE Champion. The facts of what Brad was doing to Colby rattled Randy to his very core. As he walked through the backstage area before RAW, he appeared to just be on autopilot. There were no 'hi's' or 'what's up's'. Randy was completely silent to everyone he passed; as if they didn't even exist.

He sighed as he walked into the locker room and threw his stuff on the bench. He really just wanted to be alone. He pulled out his iPod and put in the ear buds. He scrolled down through the list of artists until he found Metallica. He wouldn't risk putting it on shuffle; a song might just pop up that would only remind him of Colby.

He hadn't been alone in the locker room very long when the door opened and in walked Jeff Hardy.

Jeff motioned for Randy to take out the ear buds. Randy inwardly groaned but did it anyway.

"What do you want, Hardy?" the WWE Champion asked.

"I was just making sure the party was still on at your house tomorrow."

"Party? For what?"

"For your birthday…tomorrow is your birthday, right?"

Randy thought for a moment. The next day was, indeed, April 1st and it was all coming back to him that he had already told everyone he knew that there would be one hell of a party. But that was before Wrestlemania weekend. That was before Colby said she wanted nothing more to do with him.

He just wasn't in the mood to party. He wasn't in the mood to be around people. All Randy wanted to do was go home, crawl in his bed and pretend like everything with Colby had never happened.

"Orton?" Jeff asked, causing Randy to break away from his thoughts.

"Yeah, it is my birthday, but I'm not so sure I'm still going to have the party. I kind of just want to be alone for a couple of days."

"Is everything okay, Randy?"

"No, but I don't want to talk about it either," Randy said, sharply.

"I'll just leave you alone then," Jeff replied and quietly slipped out of the locker room.

The Legend Killer put his ear buds back in and turned the volume up. A few minutes later, the locker room began to fill up quickly due to all three rosters being there for Ric Flair's retirement.

It wasn't long before the large amount of people became too much for Randy to bear. After changing into his gear for the night, he hastily made his exit and searched for a place that would bring some peace and quiet.

* * *

John Cena watched wearily as his best friend quickly retreated from the locker room. Jeff Hardy had come straight to him after speaking with Randy about his birthday. And that's when John realized that this wasn't normal depressed Randy. Normal depressed Randy would have a huge bash just to forget about things even if there was no special occasion.

That's the way it was with Erica. That's the way it was with Randy's suspensions. Everything that got Randy down would quickly be gone due to a good, healthy dose of partying.

But not this. Not this situation with Colby. And that was what made John worry for his friend. If Randy didn't think that partying was the solution to this problem like it was to every other one, then maybe Randy believed that there wasn't a solution at all.

* * *

**So I had this chapter done about a month ago, but I have recently gotten distracted by an amazingly amazing guy. But I finally realized that I should probably get this up. **

**Thanks to fairytink101, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, RKOsgirl92, CapriceCC, Christina89, DirtyRockDiva, baybie, HighFlyinJeffHardy, beautifultragedyxxx, hotpocketbandit, alethea293, giftiebee, WordLifeCeNa, foreverfan15, littleone999, JohnCenaFan, Rawr-Chan, sweetlady1977 and Joviper54 for reviewing. **

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review this chapter too!**

**Keep it rockin'**

**Gabby**


	26. Forgive Me

Chapter Twenty-Six:Forgive Me

**April 1, 2008 **

**3:55 A.M.**

How could she have let this happen? How could she have not had enough common sense to see that this whole thing had been completely and utterly wrong?

Colby sat on her bed, contemplating these very questions. She hadn't slept at all for the past two nights, yet no fatigue had hit her. Despite the emotional and some physical pain, she had to be proactive. She had to make things right.

She stood up from her bed and grabbed a suitcase from her closet before she began throwing clothes in it. She didn't know how long she would be gone. Maybe she would be back by nightfall. Maybe she'd be back the next week. Who knew? All she knew was that she would be gone however long it took for Randy to forgive her.

Xxxxxxxxxx

From: Kennedy…Kennedy!

Happy Birthday, Orton! Ready for that party!

From: Big Dave

Happy Birthday, Randy! I'll be there around 7. Need me to bring anything?

From: Mickie J.

Happy Birthday, Legend Killer! Still lookin' hot at 28! See you tonight!

From: John Cena

Hey, man. I told everyone the party is still on. I think you need it. See you later. Happy Birthday, bro.

Randy sighed after reading his text messages and putting his cell phone in his pocket. Sometimes he wondered why he was best friends with Cena. He specifically told him that he wanted to be alone. Did Cena listen? Hell no!

As he waited to claim his luggage, Randy glanced at his watch. It was only 8:30 in the morning. He had wanted to get the hell out of Orlando as soon as possible. There were too many events that he wished would just stay there. Unfortunately, all of those events had managed to follow him home.

He quickly found his bags and headed toward the exit before hailing a taxi. The whole ride back to his house, Randy attempted to keep her from crossing his mind, but to no avail.

How could he put her gorgeous gray eyes out of his head? Or her amazingly plump lips which he had the experience of having on his? Or her silky raven hair that seemed to shine even in the dimmest of light? It was thoroughly impossible.

Randy ran his hands over his face just as the cab pulled up to his house. He paid the driver and got out, immediately noticing that it had started pouring on the way back from the airport. Randy hadn't even realized.

He pulled his bags from the trunk and began walking up the driveway when he noticed a black pickup truck sitting right in front of him.

"No way," he muttered to himself. "It can't be her."

He dropped his bags and ran up to the driver's side door to find the truck empty. He searched all around his property before finally spotting a familiar, shrouded figure sitting on his doorstep.

Randy immediately sprinted to her and took her in his arms. It had only been three days since he'd seen her last, but it felt like years. In the midst of his passionate embrace, Randy hadn't even noticed that Colby was shaking until he heard the sharp intake of her breathing.

He pulled away and took her face in his hands and immediately noticed that she was crying. "How long have you been sitting out here?"he asked, having to raise his voice to be heard over the pouring rain.

"I don't know," she replied, barely audible.

"Let's get you inside, sweetheart. And out of these wet clothes," he said, pulling his keys from his packet and unlocking his front door before ushering Colby inside.

"Did you bring a change of clothes with you?"

"They're in the truck," she nodded.

"Stay right here. I'll get them."

"I kind of locked the keys inside. That's why I was sitting on your doorstep," she said sheepishly as she sniffled.

"Okay, well, come upstairs and I will find you something."

Randy led Colby upstairs to his bedroom and lent her one of his t-shirts and a pair of his lounge pants both of which were enormously big on her 5'2 frame. He left the room to change as well and when he walked back in, he found Colby curled up on his bed. He sat beside her and ran his hand up and down her back.

"How can you do it?" he barely heard her ask.

"How can I do what, sweetie?"

"Treat me like nothing happened. Like I never said anything that I said. How can you do it?"

'_Because I love you,'_ he thought but decided against saying it aloud. "Because I could never be angry with you, Colby. I think it's physically impossible."

"But I've hurt you so much. How could you possibly forgive me for that?"

"There's nothing for me to forgive you for. You like to see the best in people. And you were lied to. Those are things you can't do anything about. None of this was your fault. Now, I want you to stop thinking like that, okay?"

She nodded slightly knowing she wasn't going to win the argument. "You know, I half expected you to tell me to get the hell off your property…after you chewed my ass out of course."

"Like I said, I think it's physically impossible for me to be angry with you. But you look exhausted. Why don't you lay here and get some sleep?" he said and stood up.

"Will you lay here with me, please?"

"Of course, sweetie," he said, crawling in the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame.

"You know, Randy. I've never felt as safe as I do when I'm in your arms."

Randy said nothing in return but snuggled up closer to her and kissed her cheek before they both drifted off to sleep.

Xxxxxxxx

When Randy awoke just a few hours later, he found the other side of his bed to be empty and heard voices coming from downstairs.

He jumped out of bed, afraid that the events that had happened earlier that morning were nothing more than a dream. He bolted down the stairs and into the kitchen, nearly tripping in his quest.

As soon as Randy entered the kitchen, however, he realized that there had been no need to hurry for none of the morning's happenings were a trick played on him by his subconscious.

There was Colby, sitting on the counter next to the stove, stirring a pot of boiling noodles. And sitting on a barstool on the other side of the counter was the source of the other voice, his best friend.

A sigh of relief escaped Randy's lips as he leaned against the doorframe for support.

"Was that really you sounding like a herd of damn elephants coming down the stairs?" John asked, turning to face his friend.

Randy ignored Cena and walked to the counter where Colby sat. "Please tell me that he didn't con you into fixing him something to eat."

"He didn't," Colby smiled. "I just figured since I imposed on your birthday party that I should at least fix something for it. So I'm fixing lasagna."

"There wasn't even supposed to be a party, but Cena insisted on it."

"What did you expect me to do, Orton?" John interjected. "Let you sit around and mope the entire time?"

"Shut the fuck up, Cena!" Randy hissed. God, how he wished John would just keep his damn mouth shut. Not just to preserve his own ego, but he knew how John's remark had affected Colby. He could see the guilt spread across her face. "Why don't you go make yourself useful and try to unlock Colby's truck? They're manual locks so is shouldn't be that difficult."

"Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted," John said and walked out of the kitchen.

"I wish you could," Randy muttered under his breath.

"You know, you really shouldn't be so mean to him. He's just trying to help," Colby said softly, her attention on the pot beside her.

"I know, but John…sometimes he doesn't realize how what comes out of his mouth affects people. I saw how it affected you."

"But I know how much I hurt you, Randy. He's only telling the truth. And sometimes the truth hurts. You can't blame him for that."

Randy said no more. He knew that she was right and couldn't argue with that logic.

"So who all is coming to this party?"

"Who knows. You'll have to ask John. He's the one that invited people," Randy said, hoisting himself up on the counter beside her.

"Do you think it will be a lot of people?"

"Come on, Colby. You've known John long enough to know that he doesn't do anything small," he laughed.

"So one lasagna probably won't be enough."

"No, it probably won't."

Colby hopped down off the counter and began searching through Randy's cabinets for more ingredients for another batch of lasagna. Randy studied her every move. He wondered what that bastard Brad had done to her. He could tell that something had gone down between the two of them and he hoped it wasn't the worst.

* * *

**Wow, I know it's been forever since I have updated anything. I just really haven't had the creativity that I used to have. Hopefully that will change though. Thanks to RKOsgirl92, alethea293, VolcomStoneBabe, CapriceCC, baybie, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, Christina89, littleone999, fairytink101, cassymae, Joviper54, , On3LastBr3ath, StackIsTheNewBlack, Pinayprincesa, mandiicena-brooks54, , Tiffyxox, 22cuppy22, NoLongerInUseDeleteMyAccount, and Bingobaby for reviewing chapter 25. I really hope it's not as long before my next update. Thank you all so much for being patient with me.**

**Gabby  
**


	27. Lucky

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Lucky

The house was full of people who wanted to talk to him, but Randy only wanted to talk to one of them. She had been mingling with everyone since they had begun arriving nearly six hours earlier. Randy had been waiting for the opportune moment to pull her aside and find out what had gone down between her and Brad. But that moment had not yet presented itself.

"Ya know, some people would find it a little creepy that you've been staring at them for six hours."

Randy glanced to the right of him to see John standing there, beer in hand. He just sighed and looked back at Colby who was talking with Mickie James and Maria.

"Lighten up, Orton. It's your birthday," Cena continued.

"Something isn't right with her. Something serious happened and I hope it's not the worst," Randy said, quietly.

"Even if it is the worst, she was the one who chose it. She decided to believe him over you."

"You did too, Cena. Or did you forget that part?"

"Yeah, but I ended up believing you."

"Because I had to get in your face about it. And apparently she believes me too or else she wouldn't be here," Randy growled as he noticed that Colby had stepped away from the crowd. "If you'll excuse me, I have someone far more important to talk to," he said, walking toward Colby. Sometimes his best friend could be so stupid.

When he reached her, she was sitting in a chair, staring down at her empty glass, off in her own little world.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, kneeling next to her chair. "You having fun?"

"Of course," she replied, immediately putting on a forced smile.

"Something's on your mind. Would you like to get away from all of this and talk?"

"I actually would love that," she spoke softly.

Randy stood up and held out his hand to her, pulling her to her feet before leading her up to his room.

"How come it seems like every time you have a bunch of people over, we always end up here, just the two of us?" Colby questioned as they entered Randy's bedroom and sat down.

"Because you're the only one that I want to spend my time with."

"You can't really mean that," she said, avoiding his eyes. "Especially after what I did to you. I should have listened to you from the very beginning. But the Queen of Mistakes just had to go and make another one."

"Listen, Colby," Randy began, taking her hand in his. "I'm not going to lie to you and say that what you did didn't hurt me, because it did. It tore me up. But what I'm more concerned with right now is you and your wellbeing. I can tell that something happened with Brad. Please talk to me."

"First of all, I had no idea that he called you. I didn't find that out until John told me today. He was supposed to be calling his parents and asking if he could stay at my house. Anyway, he came back inside and we both felt the tension caused by my parents. They were about as fond of Brad as they were Elijah. So we decided to go back to my room and get away from it all. I was just so upset and…"Colby began crying, rivers of tears instantly flowing from her gorgeous gray eyes.

Randy felt his heart breaking and his blood boiling all at the same time. Colby hadn't even told him the worst of it and she was already in tears. If that kid even so much as touched her wrong, Randy was going on a hunting trip. "Come on, sweetheart. Tell me what happened," he said, softly.

Colby took a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing. "He said he knew the perfect way to relieve stress, to make me feel better about the whole situation. He pushed me down on my bed and then started taking his clothes off. I told him to stop and to put his clothes back on, but he wouldn't listen. He just kept telling me that it would all be better soon. That I would forget that you even existed. I started moving away from him, but he grabbed my legs and pulled me back. He tried to take my jeans off, but I fought him tooth and nail. He got on top of me and put his hand over my mouth and told me that if I didn't keep quiet and stop fighting him, it was going to hurt even worse."

That was it for Randy. "I swear to God, Colby," he interrupted. "That kid is not going to live to see the sun rise tomorrow. I knew he was a no good son of a bitch, but to sink so low as to force you into sleeping with him! That's grounds for murder!" he yelled, standing up from his place beside her and running his hand through his hair. His other hand was clenched into a fist and Colby could see the vein in his forehead protruding.

"Randy, calm down."

"I am not going to calm down! How do you expect me to calm down? This is unbelievable! This is disgusting and majorly fucked up! And you want me to calm down? Do you realize how much I care about you? And then to have this perverted, demented fuck do this to you? I WILL NOT calm down until that son of a bitch is six feet under!"

"Randy! Just stop!" Colby yelled, finally getting the wrestler's attention. He turned and looked at her, breathing heavily and his face a bright crimson. "He wasn't able to follow through, Randy."

"What?" he replied in relieved disbelief.

"He tried to take my jeans off again. I pulled my leg back and kicked him hard enough for him to fall back into my dresser. It made a loud enough noise that my dad came in to see what was going on. He saw Brad undressed and me crying. Needless to say, dad took care of him."

Randy sighed and enveloped Colby in his arms. He could feel her shaking sobs against his chest. Tears of relief sprang to Randy's eyes. Never in his 28 years had he ever been so grateful. She was okay. Slightly traumatized, but okay nonetheless.

After a while of just standing there with her in his arms, Randy pulled away and Colby immediately noticed the tears in his baby blues.

"What's wrong, Randy?" she asked, sniffling back her own.

"I'm just so thankful that he didn't get to you. You have no idea, Colby."

As Randy took her in his arms once again, Colby couldn't help but realize how lucky she was to have Randy Orton in her life.

* * *

**Wow, guys. It's been a while. A LONG while lol. But I've finally got something posted. I hope it's up to the expectations that ****you all have. I know it's not much, but it's something. **

**Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers for reviewing chapter 26 and there's a lot of you: Christina89, RKOsgirl92, beautifultragedyxxx, Tiffyxox, babyxbxgurl, KimmieCena, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, VolcomStoneBabe, Bingobaby, CapriceCC, littleone999, Jodie54, Stephanie, giftiebee, wwechick24, hsv18896, Kinley Orton, Happygolucky103, xxxRKOEnigmaxxx and wwelover1995. Also a special thank you goes out to gooseles who reviewed chapters one through nineteen. **

**I sincerely hope that it's not as long as before I update again. I'll try my best to update soon. **

**Until next time, **

**Gabby**


	28. Brought to Light

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Brought to Light

Angels have always been depicted as the purest of beings. They never hurt anyone; they only help yet they never want anything in return except to be loved. Who, in their right mind, would want to physically and emotionally hurt an angel?

Randy wondered the exact same thing as he watched the girl he believed to be an angel in disguise sleep. No one would be able to tell by looking at her while she slept that she had been through so much in the last couple of days. She was beautiful. More beautiful than any other woman Randy had ever laid eyes on. Her raven hair was spread across the pillow, shining in the early morning light beaming in through the window. Her long eyelashes were fanned over the top of her cheek bones and her rosy pink lips were relaxed into a sort of half smile.

As far as Randy was concerned, Colby Taylor was more than beautiful. She was perfect. He wanted nothing more than to lie beside her and just watch her for the rest of his time on Earth. Unfortunately, life had other plans.

Randy's phone rang, breaking the trance that he had been in for nearly an hour. He quickly reached over to the nightstand and answered it so as to not wake Colby.

"Hello?"

"How's my birthday boy?"

"Mom?" Randy questioned. "It's only 6 o'clock. Why are you calling me so early?"

"To tell you that your father and I will be over around 8."

"What? Why?"

"Can't we just come to visit our son? After all, yesterday was your birthday and we didn't even get to see you. "

"Mom, I'm twenty-eight. You aren't obligated to see me on my birthday anymore. Besides, I'm sure the house is a disaster after the party John threw for me last night."

"When has that ever stopped us before, Randall?" Elaine questioned to which Randy had no response. "Do you have a girl over there? I thought we talked about this, Randy. You can't go sleeping around with every woman you meet. You're going to get God knows what kind of diseases and…"

"Ma! Stop alright," Randy interrupted. "I didn't sleep with anyone, okay? Not that it's any of your business anyway, but I didn't. But I do have a girl here. It's Colby."

"She's there? That's wonderful, Randy! I guess we picked the perfect day to come over! I can't wait to meet her. You've talked so much about her. This is amazing! Alright, well I'm going to go get ready and we will see you at 8. Love you, honey," Elaine said and hung up.

"Yeah. Love you too, Mom," Randy said to the disconnected phone before putting it back on the nightstand.

"That was your mom?"

Randy turned to see that Colby was awake and despite having just woken up, her gray eyes glimmered.

"Yeah. That was my mom. Apparently she and my dad are coming over in a couple of hours. She's very excited to meet you," he told her, softly pushing a piece of her raven hair behind her ear.

"Really? How much have you told her about me?" Colby asked, a worried expression floating across her face.

"Well after you saved me from hypothermia and frostbite last December, I told her that you let me stay with you. She's wanted to meet you ever since."

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess I better jump in the shower then, huh?" she said, throwing the blankets off of her and climbing out of bed.

Randy watched her as she dug through her suitcase to find some clothes before making her way to the master bathroom. He sighed as he too got out of bed. He slowly wandered downstairs to see all of the party goers gone except for John who lied passed out on the sofa with his arm hanging off the side, a beer can still clutched in his hand. Randy removed the can before smacking John on top of his head. "Cena, wake up! We got work to do!"

John jolted awake, his hand immediately going to the top of his head. "Well, good morning to you too, asshole."

"Get up. We have to get this place cleaned before 8 o'clock," Randy said as he began to pick up beer cans.

"Before 8 o'clock? What the hell time is it?"

"A little after 6."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Orton? What the hell is the matter with you? I didn't even get to sleep until four!"

"Not my problem, Cena. Now get your ass off my couch and help me."

* * *

Colby stood in front of the full length mirror in the master bathroom contemplating whether or not the outfit she was wearing was appropriate for meeting Randy's parents. She more than a little nervous about meeting Randy's parents, though she really didn't know why. If they were anything like Randy (and she assumed that they were) it wouldn't be hard for her to get along with them.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before deciding that what she was wearing was going to have to be good enough. She walked downstairs to the sound of cans clinking together. She peeked into the living room to see Randy and John cleaning up from the night before.

"So, Orton, I couldn't help but notice that you and C left the party early last night," John stated as he threw four beer cans into the trash bag he carried.

"Yeah, so…" Randy replied.

"Have your own little party?"

"Is it really that hard to believe that we can just sit up in my room and talk?"

"Coming from you, yeah it is. But since you insist that you were just talking, what did you talk about?"

"We talked about a lot of things, Cena. None of which you need to know about so just drop it."

"Well, can you at least tell me if she told you what happened between her and that douchebag? I'm her friend too, you know."

"Yes she did, but if she wants you to know, she'll tell you. It's not my place."

It was at this time that Colby decided to make her presence known. She stepped down the last few stairs so that both men noticed her arrival. "You're right, John. You are my friend," Colby began before pausing. "Basically what happened is that Brad…he more or less tried to…he tried to rape me, John. But he was unsuccessful. About the only perk of still living with your parents."

"That dumb son of a bitch! I swear…" John began before Colby cut him off.

"Stop, John. It's over. It's done with. There's nothing anyone can do about it now. Not you, not Randy. I'm not physically hurt, emotionally scarred a little bit, but that will heal with time. The best thing right now is to not even mention that bastard's name again."

"We understand, sweetheart," Randy said, wrapping his arms around her. "We're just angry that someone would try to hurt you like that. We want to be able to protect you."

"And I understand that. And in all reality you did everything you could to protect me. I just didn't listen. I realize now that you and John are two of the best people that I've ever had come into my life. I am beyond grateful to know you."

Randy gave Colby one last squeeze before kissing her cheek and pulling away from her. It took all Randy had at that moment to stop himself from proclaiming his love for the gray-eyed beauty. Instead he glanced around the living room. "Would you like to help us pick up?"

* * *

Colby sighed as she picked up the last bit of garbage off the kitchen floor. She had no problem helping Randy and John clean up the mess from the night prior. Hell, she even volunteered to clean the messiest room in the house (the kitchen). But something else was troubling her and that something went by the name of Randy Orton.

She had noticed earlier that something was on his mind, yet he refrained from talking about it. That in itself kind of hurt, especially after all she had opened up and talked to him about. She thought she was a good listener, at least that's what she had been told anyway. Was it that Randy just wasn't as comfortable talking about personal things as she was? Or maybe after all of the happenings of the past few days, he just wasn't as comfortable with HER as she was with him.

These thoughts and questions had been turning over and over in Colby's mind for the past hour as she cleaned the kitchen. And still she had no answers.

"Kitchen looks good, C," John said, walking into the room.

"Thanks," she muttered, quietly, still lost in thought.

"Something up?" he asked, sitting on a barstool behind the counter.

"I'm just trying to figure something out. That's all," she replied while she washed off the countertops.

"Let me guess that this something has to do with Orton."

"That obvious, huh?"

John just laughed and nodded. "It's pretty obvious that whenever you two are around each other, that's all you ever think about. You're always thinking about him and he's always thinking about you. And let me tell you, it has to be pretty damn obvious for me to figure it out."

"I'm sure Randy has better things to think about than me," Colby said, opening the dishwasher.

"Do you pay any attention to him at all when you're around him? Last night at the party, all he did was stare at you, waiting for an opportunity to talk to you when you weren't talking to someone else. Orton is all about you. He's blind to anything and anyone else when he's around you. Anyone with eyes could see that he is head over heels for you."

Colby said nothing in return as she put the clean dishes away. If what John was saying was true, why did it seem as though Randy couldn't open up to her. Earlier that morning she could see in Randy's eyes that he wanted to say something to her, yet he held back.

"What are you thinking, C?" John asked, leaning across the counter in front of him.

She stole a quick glance in the living room before she answered. "Has Randy said anything at all to you about not being able to talk to me? Like he doesn't feel comfortable talking to me?"

"What do you mean? I thought you two stayed up all night talking."

"We did. Walked about what happened with…him and other little things, but I could tell that there was something on Randy's mind, yet he never said anything. I thought we could talk about anything, but now…I think I screwed that up."

John looked at her, puzzled. From how Randy spoke of Colby, it seemed as though he could tell her anything. Even after everything that had happened with that dickhead, Brad, it didn't seem to alter Randy's love for Colby…

Randy's LOVE.

It all clicked inside John's head. His best friend was conflicted. And John understood why. After everything Colby had been through the past couple of days, the last thing she needed was Randy openly confessing his love for her. "I don't know, C, but I doubt it has anything to do with what has happened. But I'll talk to him and see what I can find out."

"Thank you, John," Colby said with a weak smile.

Colby and John had no sooner finished their conversation when Randy walked in, putting a t-shirt over his freshly showered body. "My parents just pulled in the driveway," he told them.

"Okay. I'll be out there in just a minute," Colby replied, putting the last of the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

Randy just nodded before walking out of the room, John following behind him.

She let out a deep sigh, hoping that whatever was on the Legend Killer's mind would soon be brought to light…

But only after his parents had gone.

* * *

**Sorry for the enormously long delay in updates! I hope people still remember this story! I'm hoping to finish it up soon, but we'll have to see how that goes. **

**Thanks to Bingobaby, Christina89, Jodie54, KimmieCena, Mrs.-Dibiase-10, KinleyOrton, RKOsGirl92, Tiffyxox, VolcomStoneBabe, CapriceCC, Happygolucky103, beautifultragedyxxx, JohnsAngel22, giftiebee, mybrowneyedgirl, AprilNaKole11, PiscesBaby and Enigmatic Lotus Leaf for reviewing Chapter 27. **

**Thank you for reading and don't forget review!**

**-Gabby-**


	29. Opposition and Encouragement

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Opposition and Encouragement

Colby walked into the living room to see Randy enveloped in a hug by his mother.

"Oh, Randy! It's so good to see you! It feels like it has been forever," she cooed as she squeezed her eldest son. "Now enough about that, where is she? Where is Colby?"

Randy turned toward the kitchen and saw Colby standing in the doorway. It took only a millisecond longer before Elaine had spotted her as well.

"Oh! She's beautiful!" she said, rushing over to Colby. "I've waited so long to meet you, dear. I've wanted to thank you so much for helping my dear Randall when he needed it."

"It's nothing, Mrs. Orton. I was just trying to help," Colby replied, quietly.

"And help you did. You pretty much saved his life. And please, honey, call me Elaine. Now, I would just love to get to know more about you. What do you say we go and have a little girl talk?"

Colby wasn't even given an opportunity to respond as Elaine ushered her into the kitchen, leaving Randy, John and "Cowboy" Bob Orton standing in the living room.

"Well, I guess we won't be seeing them for the rest of the day," John commented before walking over to shake Bob's hand. "Good to see you again, sir. Always a pleasure."

"You too, John," Bob replied in his deep gravelly voice. "Well, Randy since your mother stole your girl away, why don't you sit down and tell me some more about her."

The three men took seats in the living room; Randy and John on the sofa and Bob in the recliner as Randy spoke. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, Dad."

"Anything."

"Well…she goes to school at Western Illinois University; she's thinking about majoring in communications."

"Okay. What year is she? She has to be pretty new to college if she hasn't declared a major yet."

"She'll be a sophomore after this month."

"A sophomore, huh? So that makes her how old?"

Randy felt his mouth go dry and his heartbeat quicken. This wasn't going to go over well with his father. "She…uh…she'll be nineteen in June."

Immediately, Bob's eyes darkened. "Being the old man that I am and the number of chair shots I've taken, I think I misunderstood you. Did you say that that girl in there with your mother is only eighteen years old?"

Randy ran his hand through his short hair before nodding. "Yeah, Dad. She's eighteen."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, son, math isn't my strongest quality, but doesn't that make you ten years older than her and her barely legal?"

"Actually, Dad, it makes me nine years and two months older than her," Randy said, spitefully. "Why the hell does it even matter? It's not like we are getting married."

"Yet," John muttered under his breath, but Randy still heard him.

"Shut up," he growled.

"You're right," Bob sighed. "I mean you two are just friends. I'm sure it's like a brother/sister relationship, right?"

Randy lowered his eyes to the floor. "Actually it's not like that at all. I love her."

"There goes my damn hearing again. You said what?"

"Cut the bullshit, Dad. You heard me. I said I love her."

"Damn it, Randy! What the hell is wrong with you? All of your adult life you go bouncing from one woman's bed to another and now this?"

"You and mom wanted me to settle down. This is me settling down."

"We wanted you to settle down with an adult, Randy!"

"She is an adult, Dad! She's eighteen!"

"Just because the law says she is, doesn't make it so. She just graduated high school last year! She still lives with her parents, I imagine. She is not good for you. And you're not good for her. She has her whole life ahead of her and you don't need to be screwing that up for her!"

"How can you spew all of this bullshit? You don't know her like I know her. You don't know that she is probably ten times more mature than me or even John ever thought about being."

"True story," John piped in and nodded.

"Alright then, son. Let's say you can convince me that she's good for you. What are you going to say to me to prove that you are good for her?"

* * *

"So, Colby," Elaine began, sitting across from her at the dining room table. "Randy tells me you're a college student. What are you majoring in?"

"Well, right now I'm just taking my general education classes but I'm thinking about majoring in communications. But I'm just finishing my freshman year, so I have a little bit more time before I absolutely have to declare a major."

"So, did you take a few years off before you decided to go to college?"

"No. I figured that if I did that, I'd never go."

"Really? So you're only…"

"I'll be nineteen in June."

"Oh. From the way Randy has talked about you, I assumed that you were older."

"A lot of people have that misconception. I guess I act a lot older than what I really am. I used to think that it was a curse, but I know now that it is what brought me to Randy," Colby smiled. "I honestly wouldn't know what I'd do without him."

"What do you mean?" Elaine questioned.

"He's just helped me through some difficult times. Especially here recently. He's always been so caring and kind, not to mention understanding."

"Randy always used to be the guy who wore his heart on his sleeve. It's when he got taken advantage of that his heart became hardened. I thought that sensitive side of him was long gone, but it's nice to know that he still has it inside of him somewhere," Elaine smiled. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your relationship with him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean are you friends, more than friends? I am just curious."

"Well, um…" Colby began, unsure of how to answer. She obviously considered Randy a friend, but there were moments when she had felt so much more for him. Not to mention the conversation had taken an uncomfortable turn. Sure she would be able to have this talk with Lauren. Hell, she would even be able to talk about this to John, but to Randy's mother? "I guess you could consider us just friends."

"Hmm…well that's…disappointing."

Colby looked at Elaine with an expression of shock. "Excuse me?"

"You see, Colby, I know the look in my son's eyes, the sound of his voice when he deeply cares about someone in a more than friends way. It's only happened a few times in his life and that's what makes these things really memorable. When he looks at someone he really, truly cares about, they are the only person in the room. His eyes sparkle like stars on a clear summer night. You can always hear a smile in his voice. It's been a long time since I have seen my son like that. Well, at least until today. Just some food for thought, dear," Elaine said and winked at Colby in a motherly fashion. "Now, let's see what those boys are up to."

* * *

**Another chapter! Woohoo! I'd like to thank Jodie54, baybie, Christina89, CapriceCC and RKOsgirl92 for reviewing chapter 28. I have already started writing chapter 30 so hopefully it will be up soon. **

**Thank you and don't forget to review!**

**-Gabby-**


	30. Talk Some Sense

Chapter Thirty: Talk Some Sense

Randy sat back on the sofa watching as his parents visited with Colby and John. The morning had turned out nothing like he had planned. He wanted a nice, quiet day in before he had to go back on the road. Instead, the day had consisted of hurried housekeeping and an argument with his father that had greatly dampened his mood. The last question Bob Orton had asked kept replaying over and over in Randy's head. "What are you going to say to me to prove that you are good for her?" he had asked. That was the one question that Randy wasn't able to answer even after three hours of contemplation.

Before talking with his dad, Randy was damn certain that he wanted to tell Colby about how deep his feelings really ran, he just had to find the perfect moment. The confrontation with "Cowboy", however, had altered Randy's perspective. What did he have to offer Colby? Weeks, maybe months apart? Between his career with the WWE and her college schedule, visits would be few and far between. Obviously, he could offer her financial security so that she could focus more on her school work instead of working late hours at the hotel in Macomb, but he wanted to be more than just proverbial sugar daddy to Colby. He wanted to be there for her and with her, emotionally and physically. The only good quality that he found that he could give to her was a good ear to listen to her problems. But, in reality, she could talk to anyone: Lauren, her mom, she'd even been known to talk to John.

"Well, it was a wonderful visit," Elaine said, causing Randy to finally break from his thoughts, "but I'm afraid we must get going. It was great meeting you, Colby. I hope to see you around a lot more," she said, giving the teenager a hug. Randy looked on as he saw his mother whisper something in Colby's ear before giving her a knowing look.

Everyone said their goodbyes to one another and Randy walked his parents out to their car.

"See ya later, Randy," Bob said as he climbed in the driver's seat, leaving his wife and son on the front porch.

"Now, I don't want it to be six months before I see my son again, do you hear me?" Elaine asked, wrapping her arms around Randy.

"Yes, mom," he said, quietly.

"Alright then. I'll see you later. Oh…and Randy…don't listen to your father. He has no clue what he's talking about," she smiled before walking to the car and getting into the passenger seat.

Elaine's motherly intuition had always boggled Randy's mind. How was it that she hadn't even been in the same room with him and his father, yet she had known exactly had gone on? He assumed it must be from the years growing up when his mother was more or less a single parent.

Randy sighed. That morning had just been way too much to handle. He had known exactly how he felt when he got out of bed. The argument with his father made him reconsider whether or not he should act on his feelings and then his mother told him not to listen to his father. Why couldn't life just be simple? The complexity of the situation was really making Randy's head hurt.

"Hey, is everything okay, Randy?" Colby asked, walking out onto the front porch. "I saw your parents leave. I was just wondering what you were up to."

"Yeah, everything is fine. I was just enjoying the fresh air, that's all."

"Oh, I see," Colby said, standing next to him.

Randy didn't know what to say; he didn't know what to do. He could tell by the cloud of tension that surrounded them, that Colby was as clueless as he was.

"So, I…uh…I heard John say that you have to go back on the road tomorrow. Where are you headed?" she finally asked after moments of silence.

"There's a house show in Mobile, Alabama. You could come along…if you wanted to, of course."

"I would, but Spring Break is over next Monday, so I'll have to be getting things ready to go back to Macomb," she replied sadly.

"That really sucks. So, when do you think you'll head home?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'm scheduled to work tomorrow evening and I have to go. I've called in sick the past two days."

"You know that if you ever need any help…financially or anything all you have to do is ask."

"I'm not going to take your money, Randy. Money and friends never really works out in the end."

"But," Randy began, finally facing, "wouldn't you say that we are a little more than friends?"

Colby looked up to the top of Randy's 6'4 frame, unsure of how to respond to him. "Actually, I kind of wanted to talk to you about that. I was…"

"Why the hell are you all out here?" John asked, bursting through the front door and joining them outside.

Randy could do nothing but glare at his friend. He and Colby were about to have the single most important conversation that they had ever had and John's loud, obnoxious mouth had ruined it.

John quickly caught on to Randy's stare and began to head back in the house. "Sorry, I interrupted. By all means, continue."

"No, John, it's fine," Colby replied. "It's nothing that can't be discussed later," she smiled and walked inside.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have the absolute worst timing in the world?" Randy seethed. "Everything was about to get put out in the open and then your ass shows up."

John ran his hand through his hair before looking at his friend. "Honestly, Randy, you can't blame this on me. How many opportunities have you been given to have this talk with Colby? The fact that you haven't capitalized on those opportunities is no one's fault but your own. I'm tired of you blaming all of your bullshit on me. Start taking responsibility for your own damn actions!" John said and slammed Randy's front door behind him as he stormed in the house.

Randy sighed and stood on the porch by himself. This was just great. Not only had Colby just excused herself from a very important conversation, Randy also got his ass chewed by his best friend. Although, he kind of understood where John was coming from. He hated to admit it, but sometimes he did treat John like shit, especially when John's outgoing personality seemed to outshine everything else. But Randy knew that it wasn't Cena's intentions to fuck things up for him. If anything, he tried to make every situation better. Cena was right. Randy did need to take responsibility for what was and what wasn't going on in his life.

And that was going to start right now.

* * *

Colby had just walked back in the house when she heard her cell phone ring on one of the end tables. She picked it up and saw that it was her mother calling her.

"Hey, mom," she answered. "What's up?"

"Hey, honey," she said, sadly.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Colby."

"Bad news about what?" Colby asked, her heart beginning to pound against her chest.

"It's grandma. The nursing home took her for her checkup today and they think she might have cancer."

Colby didn't reply. Her hand immediately flew to her mouth as she sat down on the sofa. Her grandmother had already been through so much. She had fallen and broken her him not only once but twice before Colby's parents had no choice but to put her in a nursing home. The first nursing home they had put her in had ended up neglecting her to the point where she had begun to get bed sores all over her feet. They had moved her to a different nursing home just before Christmas and things seemed to be going better…but now…she might have cancer?

"I'll be home right away, Mom."

"Be careful, honey. Maybe Randy could ride with you?"

"No. He has to leave out tomorrow for a house show in Alabama. I'll be fine. Don't worry. I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"Okay, honey. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom," she said and hung up right as John stormed in the door.

His hardened expression immediately softened when he saw the tears threatening to fall from Colby's dark gray eyes. "What's the matter, C? Is it Orton? I'll beat the shit out of him if it is."

"No, John. It's not Randy," she sniffled. "I just got a phone call from my mom. She says that my grandma might have cancer."

John sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, C."

It was then, as soon as she felt John's embrace that Colby broke down. She began sobbing against John's shoulder. He had no words of encouragement or comfort for her so he just sat there, silently holding her until Randy quietly walked inside.

"What happened?" he asked, immediately rushing to where John was cradling Colby.

"Her mom just called and said grandma might have cancer," John whispered to his friend.

Randy sighed before putting an arm around Colby's still shaking shoulders. How much more could this girl go through in such a short amount of time?

After several more minutes of nothing but Colby's sobs being heard, she lifted her head from John's shoulder. "I have to get home," she said and stood up.

"There's no way you can drive that far with how upset are," Randy told her.

"Orton's right, C. Let one of us take you. Orton can drive your truck and I'll follow you in his car," Cena offered.

"No. You both have to leave tomorrow. You need to stay here and rest up," she replied, wiping the stray tears from her eyes.

"Neither one of us is going to rest knowing that you're driving in the emotional state you're in. And neither your mom or your dad should have to worry about your safety when we are perfectly capable of getting you home," Randy said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Oh my god! My dad!" she cried. "I can't imagine what he must be going through right now. I have to go now!" she said and ran upstairs.

John and Randy stood and stared in the direction in which Colby had fled. John sighed before he began moving toward the stairs.

"Hey, Cena," Randy said, catching his friend's attention as he reached the bottom step. "I know that this might not be the best time, but I wanted to tell you that what you said earlier…well…you're right. I've treated you like shit a lot lately and…I'm sorry."

John heaved a sigh before he spoke. "Well, it isn't the best time, but thanks anyway. Now, I'm going to go try and talk some sense into your girlfriend."

* * *

**Well here is yet another chapter. This chapter I would like to dedicate to my grandmother who passed away almost 4 years ago. This past week would have been her birthday. She was the strongest, most determined and faithful woman I have ever met in my entire life. She survived all of the events that happened to Colby's grandmother and so much more. So this is for her. **

**Thanks to Christina89, Jodie54, RKOsgirl92, giftiebee, CapriceCC, Bingobaby, southiegrl702, and dashinginconverse for reviewing chapter 29 and also a special thanks to Enigmatic Lotus Leaf for reviewing chapters 28 and 29. **

**Keep the reviews coming!**

**~Gabby~**


	31. Always in My Heart

Chapter Thirty-One: Always in My Heart

May 23, 2008

Randy stood in the doorway to his closet, examining each of his suits, trying to decide which one would be the most appropriate to take with him. He finally decided to go with the simplicity of a black suit, white dress shirt and a black tie.

He pulled it out of the closet along with a garment bag, before encasing the suit in it and laying it on his bed next to his suitcase. He took his new cell phone from the nightstand and noticed that he had a new text.

_Just landed. Got to get a rental. Be there in about 45-Cena_

Randy sighed and looked around his room. Satisfied that he had everything packed that he needed, he laid back on his bed to wait for John to arrive. As soon as he did, the two men would pack up the car and drive to Illinois to see Colby and her family. He hadn't seen her in over a month and couldn't help but think how his last drive to Colby's was much like the one that he and John would make that day.

* * *

_After a half hour of begging and pleading with Colby, Randy and John had finally convinced her to let them take her home. They had been on the road for a little over twenty minutes and not a word had been spoken. Randy kept stealing glances at Colby from the driver's seat but it was never anything different. She was just staring out the window, deep in thought. Once in a while, he would hear her sniffle or see a tear roll down her cheek. Other than that, it was just more of the same."_

_He reached over and squeezed her hand, hoping to get some sort of response from her, but there was nothing. He finally decided to break the silence. "Do you want to talk?" he asked, quietly. _

_She sighed before finally removing her eyes from the window and looked down where his hand still grasped hers. "I don't know what there is to talk about."_

_Randy checked the rearview mirror to make sure John was still following them before he spoke. "Talk about whatever is going through your head."_

"_Well…I'm obviously wondering whether or not my grandma has cancer and praying she doesn't. I'm wondering how my dad is doing. I know that he must be devastated and he's on the road so that worries me even more. There's just so much, Randy."_

"_You know, sweetheart, even if things don't turn out the way that you want them to, you have to be grateful. I lost my grandfather a few years ago and I was really torn up about it. But one afternoon, I was sitting and talking with my dad about him and I realized how lucky I was to have spent all the time that I had with him. He had taught me so many things. Honestly, I think my grandfather was one of the major influences for me to turn my life around."_

"_I understand where you're coming from, Randy. I really do. But I don't even want to think about my grandma not being here. I know it's a possibility, but it isn't one that I want to face right now," she said, redirecting her eyes back out the window. _

"_I know you don't want to face it, Colby, but…"_

"_I said I don't, Randy! Drop it!" she snapped. _

_Randy glanced at her, shocked. He hadn't expected her to yell out like that. He pulled his hand back that had still been grasping hers. The next half hour passed in silence and Randy was beginning to wonder if Colby was ever going to speak again during the drive. He caught her moving out of the corner of his eyes and noticed that she was unbuckling her seat belt. "What are you doing, Colby?"_

_She didn't answer. Instead, she slid over closer to Randy and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose her," she said, quietly. _

_He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "No matter what happens, sweetheart, you'll always have amazing memories of her and she'll always be in your heart."_

* * *

"Hey, Orton. Wake up," John said, nudging Randy's shoulder.

Randy stirred and opened his eyes. He hadn't planned on falling asleep, but the fatigue of the past week had won. "Sorry, man. I didn't even realize I was that tired."

"It's no problem. It's been an exhausting week for everyone. You ready to go?"

"Yeah," he replied, standing up and grabbing his suitcase and garment bag. The two men loaded up Randy's Escalade with their bags in silence and got in.

"Have you talked to C today?" John asked as Randy backed out of his driveway.

"Not yet," he said and glanced at the clock on his dash that read 12:30 pm. "She should be off work in about an hour."

"Are you kidding me? She's working today?"

"Not everyone is as privileged as we are with money, John. Plus, I guess her boss was being a bitch. Poor girl is even going into work tomorrow morning."

"Fuck that! If I was her, I'd be looking for a different job."

"She's trying. But now that school is out for the summer all she does is work and apparently she's bringing in pretty good paychecks from what she says."

"But from the sounds of it, they're working that poor girl to the bone."

"And I have a feeling it's only going to get worse."

"Why's that?"

"She told me last night that she's switching schools. She's going to go to a smaller private college there in Jacksonville. So now on top of working a shit ton of hours, she'll have college to worry about too."

John just shook his head. He really wished that Colby would allow him and Randy to help her out. But she was just too damn stubborn and independent. "So, what time is the funeral tomorrow?"

"One o'clock. Colby will get off work at noon," Randy replied. He still couldn't believe that Colby's bitch of a boss wouldn't let her have the whole day off for her grandmother's funeral. Apparently, she thought she was generous by only making Colby work four hours instead of eight.

"This may sound really insensitive," John began, "but how did her grandma pass away? No one ever really told me."

"Well, after they removed the tumor, she was fine for a few weeks, but then one day she was sitting in her wheelchair and I guess she wasn't buckled in and she leaned forward and fell out. She broke her neck in three different places. I think that just took nearly everything out of her. But she still held on for about a week or so. Then I guess the day before she passed, Colby and her dad went to see her in the hospital and told her that everything was going to be okay. That night she passed away."

"Wow," John said, running a hand through his hair. "Sounds like strong women run in the family."

"Yeah, no kidding," Randy said, tears in his eyes. Colby had been so emotional when telling Randy, he couldn't help but get emotional telling John. "She's coming with us for a couple of weeks. I don't know if I told you that or not."

"No, you didn't. But that's good. I think it will help her get her mind off of things."

Randy nodded in agreement. The rest of the drive to Colby's hometown was pretty much made up of silence except for a couple of small conversations regarding topics that came across the radio. As Randy pulled his Escalade into Colby's driveway, he noticed that her truck was the only vehicle there. He sighed as he put the SUV in park and turned it off. As always, he was excited to see Colby. However, he wished that this meeting was on a happier note.

He and John grabbed their bags from the back of the car and walked to the front door. Before either man could knock, the door opened and Colby stood before them, tears staining her cheeks.

She smiled weakly and allowed them to walk in. "Thank you both for coming. You really didn't have to," she said, shutting the door behind them.

"Actually, we did have to come. It's in our Best Friends of Forever contract," John said, causing a genuine smile to cross Colby's face before giving her a hug. "You know that we will always be here for you, C. No matter what."

Colby pulled away from John and turned to Randy. "You have no idea how much this means to me," she told both the men before hugging the younger of the two.

"You're the most important person in my life, sweetheart. I wasn't about to let you go through this alone," Randy replied and kissed the top of her head. "So where is everyone else at?"

Colby let go of Randy and invited the two wrestlers to have a seat. "Allyson is at a friend's house. And mom and dad are in town making a few last minute arrangements. Apparently two of the guys that we thought could be pallbearers aren't going to be able to make it. They don't know what they're going to do."

Randy glanced at John with a questioning look to which John nodded slightly. "We'll do it," Randy said, causing Colby to shake her head.

"No. There's no way. You both have done so much already. They're no way that I can ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask, C," John told her. "We are volunteering."

"Cena's right, honey. It sounds like there are no other options so I guess you're stuck with us," Randy smiled.

Colby just nodded, knowing that there was no use in arguing with either man. "Yeah, I guess I am."

* * *

Randy stared up at the ceiling as he lay awake on the air mattress. It was two o'clock in the morning and everyone else had gone to bed long before. He knew the reason for his insomnia. She was always the reason. He was worried about her. She had taken her grandmother's death very hard. The impact that it had on Colby was so much stronger than the impact that Randy's grandfather's death had had on him. He knew that Colby was sensitive but she was also very strong for everything that she had been through…Elijah treating her like shit…Brad nearly raping her…and now this. Maybe she was just at her breaking point. Randy didn't know, but he did know that he wanted to talk to her about it.

He sighed and turned over, closing his eyes once more and trying to will sleep to take over, but stopped when he heard footsteps coming from down the hall. He laid where he was until he saw Colby sneaking through the kitchen with her tennis shoes and a light jacket on.

He hurriedly and quietly got up and walked up behind her. "Where are you going sweetheart?"

Colby jumped at the sound of his voice. "Damnit, Randy! You scared the shit out of me!" she whispered loudly.

"I was just wondering where you were going. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I couldn't sleep. I was just going to take a walk and try to clear my head."

"Would you like some company? I can't sleep either."

"Sure," she replied, nodding her head.

Randy quickly put on his pair of Nike Shox, threw on a long-sleeved shirt and joined Colby at the door to the garage. They snuck out quietly and began walking down her street, both of them embracing the cool May air.

"So why couldn't you sleep?" Colby asked as they neared the end of the lane.

"Because I'm worried about you," Randy answered, simply.

"There's no reason to worry about me, Randy. This is all just a part of life. People live and people die," she said, keeping her eyes on her shoes.

"There's more to it than that, Colby. I know you better than you think I do." Even though it was pitch black outside, Randy could tell that there were tears falling from her eyes, yet she said nothing.

They continued their walk in silence until they reached the small playground of the elementary school. Colby stopped walking and took a seat on one of the benches.

She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face. "You're right, Randy. There is more."

"What is it, sweetheart? You know you can tell me anything."

"It's guilt."

"Guilt? What do you have to be guilty about, Colby?"

"Everything. I feel guilty about not spending as much time with her as I should have. I feel guilty that I wasn't there when she passed. I feel guilty that I didn't answer the fucking phone!"

Colby was sobbing uncontrollably. Randy felt horrible for her. The only thing he wanted to do was pull her close, kiss her softly on the lips and tell her that everything would be okay. But he knew that she still needed to talk more. "What do you mean you feel guilty that you didn't answer the phone?"

"The night she died, I was half asleep. I was three in the morning and I thought I heard the phone ring, but I also thought I was dreaming so I didn't get up. I just let the phone ring. It was the hospital calling to tell us that she was gone…and I just let it ring," she said, putting her face in her hands and crying even harder.

Randy knelt down in front of her and removed her hands from her face. "Listen to me, honey, there is absolutely no reason for you to feel guilty. Especially about the phone call. What would have happened if you had answered the phone? It wouldn't have brought her back."

"I know, but I feel like I had a responsibility to my grandma and the rest of my family to answer that phone. It was like my sleep was so much more important than the news of her death. I failed her, Randy. I failed her and my family."

"You could never fail anyone, sweetheart. There was nothing you could've done even if you did answer the phone. It wouldn't have changed anything. You can't keep beating yourself up over it, Colby. You are just making this harder on yourself than what it already is."

Colby said nothing more as Randy sat beside her on the bench once again. He reached over and enveloped her in his strong arms. He didn't know what else to say. All he knew was that she needed him and he would sit there on that bench with her in his arms until the sun came up.

And that's exactly what he did.

* * *

**So here's another chapter. I'm trying to outline the rest of this story, but that never seems to work out for me as I tend to write whatever comes to mind and let the story flow through my pen (I write everything out longhand first). **

**This chapter is also really near and dear to my heart as it involves quite a few aspects that I went through with the death of my grandmother almost 4 years ago. So I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Thanks to RKOsgirl92, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, Bingobaby, CapriceCC, Ctinaisfashion and Jodie 54 for reviewing the last chapter. I really appreciate your feedback on this story! Thank you so much!**

**~Gabby~**


	32. Keep Going

Chapter Thirty-Two: Keep Going

Randy closed his umbrella as he and John walked into the store in which Colby worked. The rain had started shortly before Randy left Colby's house to pick her up from work and it seemed to fit the mood for the day. It still pissed Randy off that her boss was making her work on the day of her grandmother's funeral, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

He and John walked to the back of the store to see Colby putting the last of the fitting room clothes away. Even on a day like that and with absolutely no sleep, she still looked stunning in her black pencil skirt, purple ruffle shirt, black cardigan and black heels. Her hair was curled around her face and her eyes were a darker gray than Randy had ever seen them.

"Hey, guys," she said as she spotted them walking toward her. "Let me put the rest of these away and I'll be able to leave."

"No problem, C. We'll be here," John said, straightening the tie he wore around his neck. "So uh…where'd you to go that you were strolling in the house at six o'clock this morning?" he asked once Colby was out of earshot.

"We went for a walk. Talked about some things," Randy replied, absentmindedly playing with the hangers on one of the clothing racks.

"Did you happen to talk to her about your undying love and devotion for her?"

Randy turned and looked at his friend, clearly agitated. "Did you eat paint chips when you were a child? Of course I didn't. This isn't the time or place to talk to Colby about that."

"Talk to me about what?"

Randy let out a sigh as he silently wanted to punch John in the face. "It's nothing that can't wait until later. Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'm going to be. Just let me clock out."

As soon as Colby disappeared behind the double doors leading to the back, Randy smacked John upside his head.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You know damn well what that was for. You're lucky I didn't do more than that."

John just shook his head. A few seconds later, Colby returned with her jacket and the trio walked to the front of the store. Randy wrapped his arm around Colby and opened the umbrellas as they stepped out into the rain. He walked her to the passenger side of his Escalade and helped her in before closing the door for her. He took a moment to look at her. Anyone could look at her and tell that she was physically and emotionally exhausted. Randy knew that she would need him more that day than she ever had.

* * *

Colby sighed as she removed her cardigan and hung it up on a hanger. That afternoon had been extremely rough and she couldn't wait to get away for a while. The funeral, however much it celebrated her grandmother's life, had taken its toll on her family and she felt horrible for leaving but her parents assured her that everyone would be okay. Life still went on even after the loss of a loved one.

She knew her family would be okay. They were all very strong people. But with the guilt that she still held inside her, she knew that they wouldn't be able to console her. As ridiculous as it may have seemed to some, time with Randy and John was going to be the only solution to everything she was feeling.

She had just slipped on a pair of jeans when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she answered softly.

The door slowly opened to reveal John on the other side. "Hey, I was sent to see how you're holding up."

"Really? Who sent you?"

"Who do you think, C?" John questioned, smiling slightly.

"Why didn't he just come back here himself?"

"He doesn't want it to seem like he's smothering you."

"So he sends you to smother me instead," Colby grinned for the first time that day. She didn't know what it was about those two men but they never failed to lift her spirits. "And I'm alright…considering."

"I know that this must be really hard for you, C. I can't really say I know exactly what you're going through. I've never lost a grandparent before, but I have lost people close to me. I know that you never got the opportunity to meet him, but a few years ago, the wrestling world lost a really great guy. Eddie Guerrero. Have you heard of him?"

"Yeah…Latino Heat," Colby replied. "I've watched some of his matches with Randy before and even some on my own."

"Well, when we lost Eddie, it hit everyone really hard. He had had his demons in the past but he had beaten them. So when he passed, it took everyone by surprise. He was a brother and a mentor to every wrestler in the locker room. It was extremely hard for everyone. But we all knew that we had to keep going. It's what Eddie would have wanted us to do. And I think that's what your grandmother would want you to do, too."

By the time John was done speaking, Colby once again had tears in her eyes. She smiled weakly before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his muscular frame. "Thank you, John. For everything."

"No problem, C," he said and placed a kiss on top of her head. "Now you finish getting packed. We're going to be heading out in a little bit."

She nodded as John retreated from her room. As she continued her packing that she had started the day before, the reality of the mistake that she had almost made nearly two months prior hit her. How she ever thought she could walk away from John and Randy was beyond her. She couldn't believe how she had managed to live nearly nineteen years without them in her life. And she was bound and determined that she would never have to again.

* * *

Saying goodbye to her family was hard at such a difficult and depressing time, but as they crossed the Missouri state line, Colby realized that she had made the right decision. After speaking with John prior to their departure, she realized that he was right about her grandmother's wishes. She wouldn't have wanted Colby to stop living just because she was gone. That would've been an insult to her and everything she believed in. Her grandmother was such a faithful woman. The Bible verse Philippians 4:13: "I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me" was the epitome of Violet Taylor.

And as Colby sat silently in the backseat of Randy's SUV, pretending to be asleep, she realized that the time for mourning was over. It was time to celebrate the life her grandmother lived and to start making her life as full and prosperous as her grandmother had. And that began as soon as she sat in the back of Randy's Escalade. Everyone used to tell Colby that she needed to live life more and experience more. That's exactly what she was going to do.

"Where'd you get your tattoos done, Randy?" she asked, startling the two men in the seats in front of her.

"I thought you were supposed to be sleeping, sweetheart," Randy replied.

"There's too much going on in my head," she smiled slightly. "So…" she said, prodding him to answer her question.

"I got them done at a shop in St. Louis. Why?" he asked, although he had a feeling he knew where this was headed.

"I want you to take me to get a tattoo. I have the money to pay for it, but I just want you to be the one to take me."

"What do you think your folks will say about that, C?" John asked, looking back at her.

"They can't say much. I'm almost nineteen. And I don't think that they'll complain too much when they see what I'm getting."

"I don't know, honey," Randy said, shaking his head. "I don't want to cause problems with your parents."

"Please, Randy. I'm begging you. I've never wanted anything more than I want this right now."

Randy glanced over at John who just put his hands in the air as if to say he wanted nothing to do with the discussion. He looked at Colby in the rearview mirror and saw the pleading in her eyes. There was no way he would ever be able to say no to those eyes. They were his weakness. Correction: SHE was his weakness.

"Okay. I'll take you. I need to get my wrists touched up anyway," he finally gave in.

A bright smile spread across Colby's face. "Thank you so much, Randy," she said happily and leaned up from her seat and kissed him on the cheek before sitting back down.

John began to talk to Colby about the possible repercussions of what she had asked Randy to do, but Randy was no longer listening. He was too busy thinking about how the young woman in the backseat was the first person ever to make the Legend Killer blush.

* * *

Colby smiled slightly as she removed a pair of pajama pants from her suitcase. She was happy that she had made the decision to go along with Randy and John for a few weeks. She was even more excited about the prospect of forever engraving the memory of her grandmother on her body.

Randy had assured her that he would take her to get the tattoo done the next time they returned to Missouri from being on the road. Upon closer look, he needed his back piece touched up as well and that required him to have a few days off from taking bumps in the ring.

She quickly slipped into her pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt before going downstairs to join the guys who seemed to be deeply involved in discussion.

"I'm not saying it's a bad idea, Randy," John said, sitting in a chair across from his counterpart. "I'm just saying it should have been more thought out, ya know? I mean, where is she going to stay while we're in the ring? You can't very well leave her in the guys' locker room."

"Listen, Cena, she's met plenty of the roster from the parties we've had. She met Hardy and seemed to get along with him really well. On my birthday I saw her talking to Maria and Punk. If anything they can keep her company in catering for the twenty minutes that we're gone. Not to mention, I'm in this storyline with H. It's not like both of us will be gone at the same time. It'll be alright, Cena. Stop worrying so much."

"Randy's right," Colby said, making her presence known. "There's no reason to worry about me. I'm sure I can find someone to hang out with. Jeff seemed cool and so did Punk and Maria."

"If you say so, C. I just don't want to you be uncomfortable. I know that the backstage area can be kind of intimidating to someone new."

"You mean just like Randy's parties?"

"More so, actually. Yeah you got along with everyone while they were here, but you're about to go into a whole different world. These men and women will be in their element. They'll be focusing on the night ahead of them and that's it. There won't be much time for chit chat."

"John, will you please lay off?" Randy intervened. She came with us to get away for awhile. To de-stress from everything. The last thing she needs is for you to sit here and tell her that she won't be wanted backstage especially when you know damn good and well that there are people who will take her under their wing for the twenty minutes that we won't be around."

"Alright," John surrendered, holding his hands up before walking upstairs.

Randy stood to pull Colby in for a hug. "Don't you worry about a thing, sweetheart. Not everyone is as uptight as Cena."

But Colby was worried. What if John was right? What if no one backstage wanted her there? What if this wasn't such a good idea after all?"

* * *

**Thanks to RKOsgirl92, Christina89, CapriceCC, Jodie54 and Bingobaby for reviewing chapter 31 and to everyone else who read. Let's keep it going and get up to the 400 review mark! I love you guys!**

**~Gabby~**


	33. Nowhere Else I'd Rather Be

Chapter Thirty-Three: Nowhere Else I'd Rather Be

**Sunday, May 25, 2008**

"Oh, I'm so glad to be on land that is not in an airport," Randy sighed as he and Colby entered their hotel room in Denver, Colorado.

"I completely agree," Colby agreed, dropping her bag on the floor. Their flight from St. Louis had been delayed by two hours due to a string of violent spring storms. They were supposed to catch a connecting flight in Detroit but ended up missing it because of the delay in St. Louis and had to wait an additional four hours for the next flight to Denver.

"So what do you say? Room service and a movie?" Randy suggested.

"That sounds wonderful after a day like today," she said, collapsing back onto the bed. It was crazy to think that their day had started nearly sixteen hours earlier and that most of that time had either been spent in an airport or on an airplane. It all was thoroughly exhausting and Colby was beginning to wonder just how Randy was able to keep up with it all.

"Room service is ordered," Randy said, flopping down on the bed beside her.

"You didn't even ask me what I wanted…"

"I ordered it all," he stated simply with his trademark Orton smirk.

"You don't like to flaunt the fact that you have money, do you?" Colby asked, sarcastically.

"I just thought it would make decision-making easier rather than having to decide based on description alone. Kind of like a buffet."

"That it does, but I'm sure it cost a fortune."

"Don't even worry about it, sweetheart. Now, what kind of movie do you want to watch?"

Colby just shrugged. "I'm not even sure I want to watch a movie anymore. Would it be alright if maybe we just listened to music and talked?"

"You know what? I don't think I've heard a better idea in a long time," Randy smiled.

An hour later, the two had finished their dinner (with an enormous amount of leftovers) and were picking at the dessert on their plates.

"So, in all honesty," Colby spoke in a serious manner. "What made you decide to wear the skimpy little spandex underwear over the shorts or pants?"

"Darlin' have you seen these legs?" he laughed. "They're gorgeous! The shouldn't be suffocated by tight spandex pants."

Colby just rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're unbelievable. And I do believe it's your turn."

The pair had been playing a game of twenty questions all throughout dinner while playing their favorite songs on Colby's laptop.

"Okay," Randy began as Colby selected "If You Could Only See" by Tonic. "I know that you want me to take you to get a tattoo, but I don't know what you're wanting to get…so tell me."

Colby leaned over the side of the bed, reached into her purse and pulled out a photo before handing it to him. "It's a violet…for my grandmother. I'm also wanting to get a bible verse to go along with it."

"Really?" he said, looking at the photo before handing it back to her. "Which one?"

"Philippians 4:13: I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me."

"I think it's going to be beautiful and that verse certainly does embody your grandmother, doesn't it?"

"I believe so," she smiled. "So what are the Legend Killer's ultimate dreams in life?"

"Besides my career, settle down with the most beautiful woman in the world," he said, glancing up at her before continuing to pick at the piece of cheesecake in front of him. "Get married to her, have kids with her, grow old and gray with her."

"That's so average-sounding, yet so absolutely breath-takingly beautiful."

_It's only that beautiful if you're that woman_ Randy thought to himself. "So what about you, darlin'? What are your ultimate dreams?"

"To be successful in whatever it is I end up doing. I'm not sure this whole communications thing is for me, but I want to find something that I can feel proud of myself for doing. I want to be a published author. And I also want to get married, have children and grow old with the man of my dreams and the love of my life."

"I have no doubt that you'll achieve every single one of those dreams, sweetheart. You're the most wonderful person I've ever met. You're bound to achieve greatness," he told her as he moved the dessert plates off the bed and wrapped his arm around her small frame. "And I believe it's your turn."

"Okay," she yawned, relaxing her head against his shoulder. "What's backstage really like?"

"Hectic. But most everyone is really friendly. You have nothing to worry about. Where do you see yourself in ten years?" Randy asked quickly and quietly, knowing his counterpart was losing her battle against sleep.

Her eyes were shut and her head had fallen to his chest. "I see myself right here."

* * *

**Monday, May 26, 2008**

Colby stuck close to Randy as they walked through the backstage area of the Pepsi Center in Denver. While Randy had assured her time and time again that everything would be okay, Colby was still nervous as hell to be backstage.

As she looked around she could see familiar faces of Superstars and Divas that she had met at Randy's house, but they all looked as if they were off in their own little universe, oblivious to everything around them, including each other. They surely wouldn't' pay attention to little ol' her. Colby was so lost in thought that she hadn't even realized that Randy had stopped walking and directly into the back of him.

Randy managed to catch her with the arm that wasn't holding his bag and smiled down at her. "Maybe you should watch where you're going a little more, huh sweetheart?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was just distracted," she said, giving him a weak smile.

"Alright, darlin'. You mind waiting out here while I drop my stuff off in the locker room?"

She just nodded and leaned against the wall as Randy walked through the door beside her. It was just a minor taste of what she would feel like when Randy went out to the ring later on that night. Sighing, she stared down at her thoroughly worn, yet still cherished Chuck Taylors.

"Hey!" she heard a voice coming from down the hall. She looked up to see the Rainbow Haired Warrior walking toward her. "Colby right?" he asked once he reached her.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you remember me."

"While it's true that I haven't seen you in a while, I have a hard time forgetting the girl who beat yours truly at Guitar Hero," he chuckled. "So, how have you been?"

"I've definitely been better, but that's why I'm here. To kind of get away from stuff back home, ya know?"

"I understand that. But I'm honestly surprised that I haven't seen you on the road before now with how much Orton talks about you. I thought you would have been here weeks ago."

"Randy talks about me a lot?" she asked, feeling the blush creep into her cheeks.

"Constantly actually," he chuckled again. "Only good things though like when he'll see you next, how stubborn you can be and how proud he is of you when it comes to your schoolwork. Congratulations on making the Dean's List, by the way," he said, shooting her a wink.

"Thanks, Jeff. And that's very sweet of him," she said, staring down at her shoes once more.

"Well, I hate to cut this short, but I have to get my stuff into the locker room and start getting ready for tonight. I'll catch ya later, Colby, he said before disappearing into the same room that Randy had.

Colby let out a long sigh as she continued to wait for Randy. Her heart had been pounding ever since Jeff had told her that Randy constantly talked about her. Was she really that important to him? She knew that he was one of the most important people in her life. And the feeling that she got every time she was around him…the feeling that her heart was about to beat explode out of her chest. The feeling that butterflies the size of eagles were flying around in her stomach. It was something that she had never felt before.

"Hey, you okay, sweetheart?" Randy asked, startling her as he put a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't even heard the door open.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure? You looked like something was troubling you."

"Yeah, I was just spacing out," she chuckled slightly.

"If you say so, babe. What do you say we go down to catering? I can guarantee you that's where we'll find Cena."

"Sure," she said and fell in step with Randy. As they walked, she stole glances at him out of the corner of her eye, each time noticing a new attribute of his stature. The way he walked with pride and confidence, the muscles that rippled out from underneath the sleeves of his t-shirt, the way his hand slowly opened and closed, flexing every muscle in his strong arm. Instinctively, Colby put her hand in his causing him to briefly pause his walking. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he smiled, brightly and continued walking. "Not a damn thing."

* * *

Colby hadn't laughed so hard in her entire life. She and Randy had met up with John, CM Punk and Maria in catering and she was having a ball. She absolutely loved Punk's dry, sarcastic humor and paired with John's upbeat, outgoing personality and jokes and Maria's bubbly and, at times, ditzy disposition, Colby couldn't help but crack up so hard that that tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Randy sat next to her, a smile permanently fixed across his lips. In the time that he had known her, he had never seen Colby that happy. Unfortunately, however, he knew that in a few short moments he was going to have to leave her to go to the ring for his final face-off with Triple H before their match at One Night Stand the following Sunday.

For the next few minutes, he sat in awe of the beauty of the young woman next to him; how her normally gray eyes were almost blue with joy, the way her smile lit up the entire room and the way her laugh triggered grins on the faces of everyone around them. And it saddened him that he would have to leave it all, even if it were only for a short period of time.

Once there was a break in the conversation, Randy spoke up. "As much as I'd love to stay here and chat, the WWE Champion is kicking off the show," he said, giving his famous Orton smirk and beginning to stand up.

"So we've heard about a million times tonight," John replied. "All you're doing is having a debate with H. Why do you have to leave an hour early to get ready?"

"Cena, you should know by now that once Randal slathers himself in three bottles of baby oil that it takes him 45 minutes to get his damn trunks on," Punk commented, causing Colby to burst into another round of laughter.

"I'm hurt by your laughter, sweetheart," he said in mock offense. "I thought you were on my side."

"Oh I am," she laughed. "But you have to admit that you do love your baby oil."

Randy responded with a smile before leaning down and placing a kiss on her cheek. "You going to be okay here?" he asked so only she could hear him.

"Of course I am. John's match isn't until halfway through the show and you'll be back twenty minutes after the show starts. I'll be fine. Just go out there and do what you do best."

"Alright, darlin'. See you in a bit," he told her and placed another kiss on top of her head before heading toward the locker room. Colby watched him leave the catering area, grateful that she had found someone who cared so much about her.

"So, Colby," Maria spoke up, interrupting her gaze as John and Punk fell into conversation about the match card for that night. "What brings you on the road with Randy?"

"Well," she began, looking at her hands. "My grandmother died recently and I just needed to get away and Randy offered me to come with him and I took him up on his offer."

"Are you glad you came?"

Colby smiled and looked at the bubbly Diva. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

* * *

**Thanks to CapriceCC, RKOsgirl92, Bingobaby, Jodie54, .x, Sam Uley's babygirl, Christina89, Happygolucky103, Baybie and hardycenagrl for reviewing chapter 32 and a special thank you goes out to Xandman216 who reviewed every single chapter of this story. You guys all helped in getting me over the 400 review mark on this story. You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you all once again. **

**I'm sorry for the over a month long wait in updates. It's been kind of a crazy month. I moved, didn't have internet for 2 weeks** **all on top of working and substitute teaching, but I hope that this can hold you over until the next chapter. I have outlined the rest of the story and if I actually follow the outline, there should be three more chapters left plus an epilogue, so we are about ready to wrap up the Colby/Randy story. **

**Once again, thank you for reading! And please do review.**

**Gabby**


	34. Happy Birthday

Chapter Thirty-Four: Happy Birthday

**Sunday, June 1, 2008**

**San Diego, California**

Randy smiled to himself as he rode the elevator up to the twelfth floor of the hotel. He had gotten up about two hours earlier to make sure that that day was going to be perfect for Colby. He had had a lot to do that morning before she woke up, but he was proud to say that he had gotten it all accomplished. He was just hoping that he would be the one to wake her up.

Sure enough, when he walked into the hotel room, Colby was still sound asleep. He grinned and lied down beside her and brushed a piece of her raven hair from her face. The simple touch was enough to cause Colby's eyes to flutter open, a smile immediately crossing her features as Randy's handsome face was the first sight she saw upon awakening.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," he said with a grin and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I have quite the day planned for you."

"Really now?" she yawned before glancing around the room.

Randy smiled as his eyes took in what hers were and smiled to himself, awaiting her reaction. It was not, however, what he expected.

"Are you serious?" Colby asked, blinking her eyes a few times. "Nineteen dozen roses?" Randy glanced at her, worried that he had done something wrong. "And to think…all I got you for your birthday was me, soaking wet, sitting on your front step," she said smiling and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Randy."

"You're welcome, darlin'. Now up and at 'em. We have places to go and people to see."

"But…it's only seven o'clock, Randy. I thought the birthday girl was allowed to sleep in."

"Under normal circumstances, you would be. Unfortunately, nothing about this life is normal and I have a pay-per-view tonight, so we have to get in all of the really fun stuff this morning. So, let's get moving."

"You know, I would be perfectly fine with just hanging out here until we need to be at the arena, right?" Colby questioned, finally climbing out of bed.

"I know you would, but I wouldn't," Randy smiled. "It's your birthday and I want to make the day special for you."

"Being with you and being able to travel across the country already makes it special for me."

He walked over to her and wrapped his large, tattooed arms around her. "Pretty please, stop trying to get out of this and go get ready," he chuckled.

"Alright, you win," she grinned and made her way to the bathroom. A half hour later, Colby emerged from the bathroom, dressed and ready to go.

Randy looked up from his spot on the bed and felt his heart begin to race. She looked absolutely beautiful. Dressed in a simple white sundress and flip flops, her hair falling loosely on her shoulders, Randy had never seen a more gorgeous sight.

"I know it's not much…and I don't really look that great in dresses, but it's hot outside and this was the lightest thing I had," Colby said, playing with the fabric of her dress.

Randy shook his head as he got up, walked over to her and took her hands in his. "You look absolutely stunning, sweetheart. Now let's head on out."

The pair walked out of their room and made their way downstairs to the lobby. It wasn't until they walked outside that Colby said something. "Please tell me that this is not for me."

"Well," Randy chuckled. "I can't. Because it is for you."

"As if nineteen dozed roses weren't enough, Randy Orton must flaunt his wealth by renting a stretch Hummer limo for two people."

"It's actually for three people," he corrected.

"John's coming? That's cool."

"Not quite," Randy said, opening the door to the limo.

Within seconds, he was surrounded by loud high-pitched squealing as Lauren, Colby's long-time best friend climbed out of the back of the limo. After the squealing subsided and was replaced with excited chatter, Randy took the time to study Colby. He loved the way her eyes lit up when she talked animatedly. Her smile seemed to shine brighter than the San Diego sun and her laugh was just downright infectious. And the best part of it all was that he was the reason behind her happiness.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, Randy was enveloped by two pairs of arms.

"Thank you so much for inviting me here," Lauren said, happily before climbing back into the limo, leaving Colby and Randy alone once again.

"This has been the best birthday I've ever had, Randy. Thank you so much," she whispered before placing a kiss on his cheek and following her friend into the limo.

Randy smiled to himself. "And the best is yet to come."

* * *

Colby grinned brightly as she walked through the halls backstage at the San Diego Sports Arena. Randy had really made her nineteenth birthday the best she had ever had. After surprising her with the arrival of her best friend, Randy treated the girls to a mini shopping spree and a trip to the San Diego Zoo.

The only downside to the day was that Lauren wasn't able to stay for the One Night Stand pay-per-view due to other obligations back at home. But it wasn't going to kill Colby's mood. Throughout the day, Randy had made a point of saying that Colby's birthday wasn't over after the show that night. He still had one more surprise for her and she couldn't help but wonder what he had in store for her.

"Hey, Birthday Girl!"

Colby turned around to see John walking toward her. "Hi, John," she said as he enveloped her in a hug.

"How has your day been so far?"

"Fabulous! Although, I was slightly disappointed that you didn't join us."

"Well, unfortunately, today was a big media day for me. You know, big First Blood match and all that jazz," he replied, frowning.

"You can make it up to me by keeping me company during Randy's match."

"I'd say that's a fair deal."

John and Colby made their way down to catering where there was a television set up to show the action going on out in the ring. They grabbed a few snacks and found a table near the TV so they could watch Randy's match against Hunter.

"Congratulations on your victory over JBL, by the way. I'm glad he didn't have to ruin that pretty face of yours by making you bleed," Colby laughed.

"There was no way in hell I was going to let him do that! This my meal ticket right her," John replied, striking a modelesque pose, causing Colby to giggle even harder. "So, are you looking forward to this Last Man Standing match?"

"I'm kind of worried about it actually," she admitted. "I mean, it's somewhat more dangerous than a First Blood match like you had. You could be bleeding like crazy and still get up before a ten count. From what I've seen, Last Man Standing matches are brutal. But at the same time, Randy and Hunter are both amazing at what they do. It's just…sometimes accidents happen."

"Well, like you said, C, both of them know what they're doing. If they didn't, they wouldn't be in this match."

The pair fell into a comfortable silence as Randy and Hunter made their entrances into the ring. Everything seemed to be going smoothly for the first half of the match. That was until Hunter threw Randy over the top rope and to the floor on the outside of the ring. Pain immediately crossed his face and just as suddenly, worry was etched across Colby's.

"Oh, shit," John muttered, getting up from the table.

Colby was quick to follow him. "What's going on, John?"

"He's hurt. Legitimately. The ref threw up the 'X'. By the looks of it, he probably broke his collarbone. He's going to be so pissed," Cena responded as they quickly made their way to gorilla position where there were medics and trainers waiting.

"Why aren't they helping him?" she whispered to John, worriedly.

"He's going to finish the match."

"Is he insane? What if he hurts himself even more?"

"He's a professional. He wants to put on a show for the fans. To do that, he has to finish the match. He wasn't supposed to win the title from Hunter anyway. So losing isn't going to be the part that pisses him off."

Colby ran her hand through her hair as she bit on her lip, nervously waiting for the match to conclude. It wasn't much longer before she heard Motorhead ring throughout the arena. A few seconds later, Triple H emerged through the curtain and made a beeline for Colby.

"He told me to tell you that he's alright and that he's sorry that your birthday is ruined," he told her.

Colby didn't know what to say in response as tears sprang to her eyes. Hunter rested his hand on her shoulder for a few seconds before making his way back to his locker room. John wrapped his arms around her as she kept a concerned eye on the ramp entrance. It seemed like hours before she saw Randy stumble through the curtain flanked by two referees and followed by medical personnel.

She immediately rushed to him, careful not to touch him and cause him more pain. She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.

"I'm so sorry, Colby. I didn't mean to ruin your birthday."

"You didn't ruin my birthday and even if you had, there is no way that you could have foreseen any of this happening. There is no reason for you to be apologizing. I just want you to be okay."

"Randy, we need to get you to the hospital and get your collarbone x-rayed," one of the medics interrupted.

"I know the damn thing is broken. Why can't you just give me a fucking sling and some painkillers and call it a day?" Randy snapped back.

"We have to go through a procedure. You know that. Now, there's an ambulance waiting for you in the parking garage."

"I'm not taking a damn ambulance. I'll just ride with Cena to the hospital."

"Sorry, Orton, I have to stay to talk to Vince after the show," John spoke for the first time since Randy had arrived backstage.

"I'll take him," Colby stepped in as the medics looked at her apprehensively. "We rode together today anyway. It only makes sense. "

"There's your answer," Randy said, grabbing Colby's hand with his good arm and started walking down the hallway toward the locker room.

* * *

Several hours later, Randy and Colby walked back into their hotel room.

"This just fucking sucks," Randy said, sitting down on the bed.

"Two months isn't that bad," Colby replied, taking a seat next to him. "Just think of it as a long vacation."

"I wasn't talking about this," he said, pointing to the sling that held his left arm. "I was talking about how you had to spend the rest of your birthday in the waiting room of a hospital."

Colby sighed and shook her head. "I've already told you a million times, Randy. There is nowhere else I would rather be than with you whether it be right here in the hotel or in the waiting room of a hospital. This birthday has been the best I've ever had aside from the fact you got hurt. So stop worrying. Please."

Randy was silent for a few moments before looking down at his hands. "So, you really meant all of that?" he asked, quietly.

"Of course I did, Randy, or else I wouldn't have said it. I feel the best when I'm around you. You have no idea what being around you does for me."

He ran his free hand over his face and through his hair. "I just have to know for sure, sweetheart, because there's something that I need to talk to you about. I had planned on having this conversation with you right after the show, but we both know that that didn't go quite as planned. My point is, Colby, during this, I don't want you to say things out of pity for me. I want you to be completely honest and tell me how you feel."

"Randy…you're scaring me."

"I don't mean to scare you, darlin'," he chuckled nervously, "but if truth be told, you scare the hell out of me,too."

* * *

**Is anyone still reading this? Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I have actually been planning my wedding these past few months so I've been rather busy. But thank you all for being so patient. I'm not incredibly happy with this chapter so let me know what you think. **

**Thanks to RKOsgirl92, CapriceCC, giftiebee, Xandman216, Christina89, Bingobaby, Jodie54 and smash 07 for reviewing chapter 32 and don't forget to review this chapter as well. **

**~Gabby~**


	35. Decisions

Chapter Thirty-Five: Decisions

Colby stared out across the city of San Diego as the sun peeked over the horizon. She didn't know exactly how long she had been sitting on the balcony that was connected to their hotel room, but she knew that sitting there was a lot like sitting on the porch railing back at home. It was a good thinking spot and, boy, did she have a lot to think about.

* * *

"_This just fucking sucks," Randy said, sitting down on the bed. _

"_Two months isn't that bad," Colby replied, taking a seat next to him. "Just think of it as a long vacation."_

"_I wasn't talking about this," he said, pointing to the sling that held his left arm. "I was talking about how you had to spend the rest of your birthday in the waiting room of a hospital."_

_Colby sighed and shook her head. "I've already told you a million times, Randy. There is nowhere else I would rather be than with you whether it be right here in the hotel or in the waiting room of a hospital. This birthday has been the best I've ever had aside from the fact you got hurt. So stop worrying. Please."_

_Randy was silent for a few moments before looking down at his hands. "So, you really meant all of that?" he asked, quietly. _

"_Of course I did, Randy, or else I wouldn't have said it. I feel the best when I'm around you. You have no idea what being around you does for me."_

_He ran his free hand over his face and through his hair. "I just have to know for sure, sweetheart, because there's something that I need to talk to you about. I had planned on having this conversation with you right after the show, but we both know that that didn't go quite as planned. My point is, Colby, during this, I don't want you to say things out of pity for me. I want you to be completely honest and tell me how you feel."_

"_Randy…you're scaring me."_

"_I don't mean to scare you, darlin'," he chuckled nervously, "but if truth be told, you scare the hell out of me,too."_

_Colby just stared at him, mouth slightly agape. She had been referred to as a lot of things before, but never once had she been referred to as scary. She was 5'2 for crying out loud! How in the hell could she scare this man who beat people up for a living?_

"_I…I don't understand. How do I…scare you?"_

"_I don't think it's any secret that I care deeply for you, Colby. What may be less obvious are the depths that my caring for you goes," he said, reaching out to grab her hand. "What scares me about you is the fact that every waking moment that I'm away from you, I'm wondering what you're doing. Are you laughing and smiling at work? Are you sitting in class, bored and chewing on the end of your pen? When will I be able to talk to you again? When will I be able to see you again? Then when I'm asleep, you invade my dreams and when I wake up, I'm incredibly disappointed because you're not here with me. And when we're together? I can't take my eyes off of you. I can't ignore the feeling in my chest as my heart pounds against my ribcage. It's become unbearable, Colby. I have never felt this strongly for anyone in my life and that is what scares me. But I can't hold it in any longer. I'm madly and deeply in love with you."_

_Colby didn't respond. She couldn't. The ability to breathe, let alone talk had left her. In the void left by her inability to speak, Colby could see the worry…and the fear, cloud over Randy's baby blues. What was she supposed to say? She knew she felt something for him. Something strong; stronger than anything she had ever felt. But was it the same thing that Randy felt for her?_

"_Please…say something," he whispered. _

"_I…"she squeaked out. "I…I think…I need some time…to think all of this through."_

"_Okay," he said, letting go of her hand before moving his to her cheek. "But before anything else, will you let me do something."_

"_Of course," she replied, breathlessly._

_A flash of the trademark Orton smirk crossed his features and just as quickly, it disappeared before Randy slowly pulled her toward him. He gently placed his lips against hers in a tender, yet passionate kiss. Colby felt herself kissing him back as her hand moved through his hair to the back of his neck. And before she had time to comprehend what was happening, he pulled away._

"_Think about it," he whispered in her ear before disappearing into the bathroom._

* * *

And think about it, she did. Over and over until the sun came up. And even after what she suspected to be hours of thinking, she was no closer to coming up with a response for Randy.

Any normal woman in her position would wonder what there was to think about. Randy was everything any girl could want and more. He was loving, attentive, fun, sweet, and obviously gorgeous. But Colby had to wonder if she was good enough.

She just turned nineteen, was still in college, had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. Not to mention, she had more baggage than the entire WWE roster. And yet, Randy Orton, WWE Superstar, was in love with her.

But more importantly how did she feel about him? Did she love him? Of course…but was she _in love_ with him? She thought she knew what it felt to be in love with someone when she was with Elijah, and look how that turned out. She didn't even know what it meant to be in love with someone.

Colby sighed and turned to look at the sleeping form of Randy Orton. He was lying on his back, his left arm cradled against his bare stomach and his right arm stretched across the bed as if waiting for Colby to take her place next to him.

But she couldn't, not until she got this figured out. She really needed someone to talk to, so she texted the only person who might actually be up.

**Hey, you awake?-C**

The reply was almost instantaneous.

**Heading downstairs for breakfast now. Wanna join-J**

**Be there in 5-C**

Colby quickly and quietly made her way inside and grabbed her key and purse before shutting the door softly behind her and catching the elevator. As she entered the lobby, she immediately spotted John's hulking figure sitting in one of the chairs. "Mornin'," she said, walking up to him.

"Mornin', C. I'm surprised you're up this early," he replied, standing up.

"Well, I never really went to bed."

"Why? Worried about Orton? Was he being a little bitch about everything?"

"No, not at all," she smiled slightly as they walked out the hotel doors. "Where are we going?"

"There's an IHOP down the road," he replied as they walked down the empty sidewalk. "So what's bothering you so much that you couldn't sleep…or even change out of yesterday's clothes for that matter?"

Colby playfully nudged him in response to his remark about her clothes. "Last night…this morning, actually, when we got back from the hospital, Randy was saying all of this really cryptic stuff and then he said that I scared him. I was really confused by that so I questioned him about it and he said that I scare him because he's never felt what he feels for me for anyone else before. He told me he was madly and deeply in love with me."

"You sound surprised," John smirked as he opened the door to IHOP for her.

"That's because I am, John. I mean, I knew he cared about me, but I never thought it was on that level."

"Good morning and welcome to IHOP. Just two of you this morning?" an overly bubbly waitress asked, interrupting their conversation.

"Yes," John answered and he and Colby followed her to an empty table. Their conversation was put on hold while they ordered their meals, but as soon as the waitress was out of earshot, John spoke up again. "I don't see why you're so shocked about this, C. I mean, the man drove to Macomb on Valentine's Day just to ask you to be his girlfriend."

"True, but that didn't mean he was in love with me. You can date someone without being in love."

"I agree. But add that to the fact that he kissed you during Christmas, bought you jewelry for Christmas, beat up your ex-boyfriend, paid for you to come out for Wrestlemania, bought…"

"Okay, I get the picture, John," Colby interrupted, slightly agitated that he was making her seem oblivious to what had happened in her past. "That's not the problem. The problem is that I don't know how I feel about him."

"Now that's not something I can answer for you. You're going to have to look at everything that's happened between the two of you, how you feel when you're around him and, more importantly, how you feel when you're not."

Colby nodded, knowing that John was right. She needed to look deep inside herself in order to figure out what she felt for Randy. And to do that, only meant one thing. She knew what she had to do. It wasn't what she wanted to do, but it was necessary if she wanted to give Randy an answer.

* * *

Randy opened his eyes as soon as he heard the soft click of the door. While he wondered where Colby went, a part of him was grateful that he didn't have to pretend to be asleep anymore. His arm was stiff and the only way to relieve that was to get up and move.

Along with stiffening his arm, pretending to sleep also allowed his thought to run rampant. What if his confession had scared her off? What if when she came back from wherever she was, she wanted to go home instead of back to St. Louis with him? That thought made him nauseous.

Then again, what if she just needed time to process the information that he had given her? He had given her the space he knew she would need. After the conversation had ended, he had gone to take a shower. By the time he got out, she was sitting on the balcony and that's when he took his place in the bed. And that's where he stayed, silently listening for any indication that Colby was ready to talk.

It killed him to have to lay there, all the while knowing that she was going through such emotional turmoil and that he was the reason for it. But he needed to know that whatever she would tell him was her decision and hers only. So, it was time for the waiting game.

Randy sighed and stood up from the bed. He was exhausted but he knew sleep wouldn't take him. He walked over to the dresser that had his pain killers sitting on top of it. As he grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge, his cell phone rang. He rushed to pick it up without checking the Caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Randy, honey, are you okay?"

He unconsciously rolled his eyes. "Mom, do you realize that it's six o'clock in the morning?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I completely forgot about the time difference. It's just that your father told me what happened last night and I wanted to make sure you're okay. Is it serious?"

"Just a broken collarbone. I'll be out of action for a couple of months."

"I'm sorry, honey. But I'm sure Colby's taking good care of you, right?"

"Actually, she's not here, ma," he sighed, sitting back down on the bed.

"Well, where is she?" Elaine questioned.

"I'm not exactly sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?! Surely you didn't let her go out into the city all by herself! Do you realize what could happen to her?"

"Mom, Colby's a smart girl. She wouldn't do that. She probably just went somewhere to think and if that's the case, she's probably somewhere in the hotel, somewhere quiet."

"And what would she be thinking about? Have you done something stupid, Randal?"

"Maybe," Randy muttered as he peeled the label off the bottle water. "I told her that I am in love with her."

"Oh dear," his mother sighed. "What did she say?"

"Not much. Just that she needed time to think so that's what I'm giving her."

"That's all you can do, Randy. Just remember that no matter what she ends up saying, you have to accept it."

"I know. I'm going to get off of here and get some breakfast."

"Alright, honey. Let me know what happens."

"I will," Randy said and hung up the phone.

Randy did everything he could possibly do to pass the time until Colby returned. He took a shower, watched TV, paced the floor and eventually ordered a room service breakfast that he only ate enough of in order to take his pain killers without getting nauseous.

An hour and a half had passed since he had first opened his eyes, and he still hadn't heard from Colby. He was heading toward the door when it opened in front of him.

Colby stood before him, turning the key to the room over in her hands. "You're up," she said, quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he answered, sitting back down on the bed as she closed the door behind her. "I was wondering where you went."

"I thought that since you were asleep that I would go to breakfast with John."

"Oh, okay," Randy replied and for the first time since they first met, he and Colby were enveloped in an uncomfortable silence. "Listen…about last night, I didn't mean to scare you off. I just wanted you to finally know how I feel."

"You could never scare me off, Randy. I've thought a lot about what you said and I've come up with a decision."

Randy's stomach knotted up. This was the moment of truth. He was so nervous about what she was going to say next that he thought he might just have an anxiety attack.

Colby sat down next to him and continued. "I've been up all night replaying your words over and over in my head. There were moments when I thought that I felt the same way about you as you do about me, but then I would wonder if I really even know what I feel. You know that I thought I was in love with Elijah. Maybe I was and maybe I wasn't, but either way, I ended up getting hurt. That frightens me. And that fear is masking all my other emotions. So, in order figure out exactly what I'm feeling, there's only one thing for me to do."

Randy was afraid to ask, but he felt the words fall out of his mouth anyway. "What do you have to do?"

Colby sighed and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I need to go home."

* * *

**A quick update this time! Thank you to Xandman216, CapriceCC, beautifultragedyxxx, wibragirl, smash07, Genny, Bingobaby, hardycenagrl, Jodie54, cenachick1981, Pinayprincesa, Dragona Shadows, and Shamaness1171 for reviewing to chapter 34. It's great to know that you are still reading. Please remember to review this chapter as well. And thank you for the wedding wishes. Three weeks from today :)**

**~Gabby~**


	36. Time and Space

Chapter Thirty-Six: Time and Space

There was no way that Randy could have heard her correctly. Absolutely no way. "You want to go home?" he questioned.

"No, Randy," Colby replied, placing her hand on his. "I don't want to go home, but I need to go home. I need space to think. I need to figure out how I truly feel about you and the only way that I can do that is to go home for awhile. Please understand why I have to do this."

Randy nodded. It was all he could do. His heart was constricting, his stomach was tied in knots and his lungs seemed unable to gather enough air for him to breathe. A few moments of silence passed before Randy gained the ability to speak again. "Our flight for St. Louis leaves tomorrow. I'll take you home from there."

"Actually, I called the airline this morning and cancelled that ticket and scheduled another flight for today. Lauren is going to pick me up from the airport."

Randy's heart sand even further. Could she break him anymore? "What time?" He was even afraid to ask.

"In order to give me enough time to make it through security, I have to leave in about two hours."

"Don't you mean _WE_ have to leave in two hours?"

"No, Randy I didn't."

"You're telling me that you aren't going to let me take you to the airport? What else, Colby? Are you going to take all your shit and hide out somewhere else until it's time for you to go just so you can get away from me as soon as you can?" Randy questioned, heatedly, standing up from his place on the bed as Colby stared up at him, mouth slightly open and tears pooling in her eyes.

"Are you trying to completely break me?" he continued. "You leave without so much as a note this morning, you cancel the ticket for the flight that you were supposed to have WITH ME, so you don't have to ride home WITH ME. Then you find a way to get to the damn airport on your own so you don't have to be WITH ME. Do you even realize how much you're killing me right now? Especially after I have professed my love for you? I can understand that you need time and space to think all of this through. But what I don't understand is why you want to get away from me as soon as you can. I want to be with you as long as possible. And you just won't let me."

"I just thought it would be for the best," Colby said, softly, sniffling back her tears.

"How in the hell would that be for the best?" he bellowed in a mixture of hurt and anger.

Colby hesitated before speaking. He had never spoken to her like that before. "I was trying to think of it like a band-aid, Randy. The faster you rip it off, the better it will be. I don't want you to think that I don't want to be with you, because that is the farthest thing from the truth. I want so badly to stay here with you, but I need to go," she replied, her voice breaking as she spoke. She brought her hands up to her face and began shaking as the uncontrollable sobs ripped through her body.

Randy immediately felt guilt wash over him. It was never his intention to let his emotions run amok and especially not to make her cry. He knelt down in front of her and pulled her small hands into his one good hand. "Hey, look at me," he said, gently, as she brought her eyes up to meet his. "I'm sorry that I got so upset and I see what you were trying to do. And it might be for the best, but right now I don't want that. Right now, I want to spend every single second I possibly can with you. I'm just…I'm scared. I thought I lost you once and that was the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life and I don't want to feel that ever again."

Colby was surprised when she looked into the third generation Superstar's eyes. His baby blues were clouded by something she had never seen in them before: tears. She removed one of her hands from his and grazed his face, wiping away the single drop that had fallen onto his tanned cheek. "I can't promise you very much, Randy, but I can promise you this…you will never lose me. As long as I am living and breathing, I will be here for you. I guarantee you that."

* * *

Randy walked slowly through the airport, hoping that his leisurely pace would somehow manage to delay the inevitable. Colby walked beside him, her stride as slow as his, their hands clasped together as if hanging on for dear life.

He inhaled deeply as he saw that they were nearing the line for security. This was where he was going to have to leave her. She stopped abruptly and turned to him. He could see the silent tears, threatening to fall from her gray eyes. "Don't…" he whispered, looking down at her.

"I'm going to miss you so much," she said, her bottom lip trembling.

"I know," he replied. "And I'm going to miss you, too."

Colby couldn't hold the tears back any longer as a sob constricted in her chest. She flung her arms around Randy's torso and nuzzled her head into his chest, taking in his scent for the final time before her departure.

Randy tightly placed his sling-free arm around her petite as tears began to fill his own eyes. "Just promise me one thing, please," he spoke softly as more and more cracks seemed to form in his heart.

"Anything," he heard her muffled response.

"Promise me that no matter what you decide that you'll come back; that you won't make this a goodbye forever."

Colby removed her face from his chest and looked up at him, placing her hands along each side of his jaw. Before he knew it, she pulled his lips down on hers, gently moving them against his.

Tears began cascading down Randy's face as he realized it could very well be the last time that their lips met. He moved his right hand to the back of her neck and through her hair, deepening their potential last kiss. He needed to make sure that she didn't forget this; that she didn't forget the way she made him feel; the way his lips felt against hers; the way he knew he made her feel. It was his only chance at being with her. He couldn't let her forget.

The moment passed all too quickly, however, and Colby pulled away, looking into his eyes with tear-stained cheeks and swollen lips. "I promise you, with everything I am, that I will come back." She ran her hand across his cheek one last time, wiping away the tears that had settled there before turning and walking toward the security line.

Randy watched her retreating form, hoping with all of his might that she would turn back around and come running into his arms, saying that there was no way she could leave him. But soon, she was lost in the sea of people and he could no longer see her small frame. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and slowly stepped back a few paces, keeping his eyes trained on the spot where Colby had disappeared, before finally turning around and walking out of the airport.

* * *

Colby found her seat on the plane and took it immediately, putting her ear buds in her ears. She was in no mood to make small talk with strangers.

She sighed, hoping that she had made the right decision. In her mind, it seemed right, but her heart felt shattered. Was this what love was supposed to feel like? Was she the pain she felt due to the fact that she was leaving a man that she loved or was she just heart-broken over walking away from one of the best friends she had ever had? Was that all Randy was? A friend? Or was he more?

The million questions swirling through her head didn't help at all except for in one area. If there were all of those questions that she needed answers to, then leaving Randy and going home was the right decision. And she wouldn't return to him until she had every single of them answered no matter how long it took.

* * *

**Friday, August 28, 2008**

Randy slung his gym bag over his shoulder as he walked out of the physical therapy clinic. He was no longer required to wear his sling, but he wasn't quite ready to get back in the ring yet. RAW was scheduled to be taped in St. Louis in two days and although he wasn't able to wrestle, he would be cutting a promo at the beginning of the show. That along with a signing the next day was all that was on his agenda for the weekend.

He threw his bag in the back of his SUV before climbing in the driver's seat. As soon as he put the key in the ignition, his cell phone began to ring. He hurriedly retrieved it from his pocked and checked the Caller ID and sighed, disappointedly.

"Hey, Cena," he answered. "What's up?"

"Just calling to tell you that my flight comes in at four. You able to pick me up?"

"Yeah. I'll be there."

"Awesome. So…have you heard anything?"

"Not a word, John. If I had, you would be the first to know," Randy replied, fiddling with the key that still sat in the ignition. "Why do you ask so much? I just talked to you two days ago and you asked."

"Just wondering, ya know, but I gotta go. I need to get through security. Catch ya later, Orton," John said and hung up.

Randy shook his head and placed his phone in the cup holder. John had been acting differently ever since…well ever since Colby left.

He hated thinking about that day, yet it was all he ever thought about. The image of her face was etched in his mind, tears streaming down her cheeks, eyes red and puffy, lips swollen from the kiss they shared. And then she was gone. He hadn't seen or heard from her since.

He picked up his phone a couple dozen times a day, tempted to call her or text her. Every time he got into his car, he had to fight the urge to drive to her house. But he knew he couldn't do any of that. He needed to give her the time and space she felt was necessary. The only bad thing about all of that was that he didn't know how much time she needed. It had already been nearly three months and he hadn't heard a word from her.

Randy shook his head, wishing desperately that he knew something…anything. He did have a feeling, however, that John knew quite a bit. Normally, John was an overly caring friend anyway, but ever since everything went down with Colby, he seemed borderline obsessive with whether or not Colby had reached out to Randy. Something was definitely up with Cena and Randy was bound and determined to find out exactly what it was.

Three hours later, Randy pulled into the parking lot of Lambert St. Louis International Airport to pick up John. Before climbing out of his Escalade, he threw on a baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses and rolled down his sleeves to conceal his new body art. The last thing he needed was to be mobbed by people and he hoped to God that Cena had taken the necessary precautions as well. Randy wanted to get in and out of the airport as soon as possible so that he could begin his interrogation of John.

Once inside, it didn't take Randy long to spot John's hulking frame, shrouded in a hat and sunglasses. Without speaking a word, Randy waited for him to grab his luggage before they made their way back to the car in silence. After sitting in the driver's seat, Randy ditched the hat and rolled his sleeves back up before starting the ignition.

"I think that was the fastest I've ever gotten out of an airport," John laughed, taking his place in the passenger seat.

"I told you that if you kept your mouth shut, nobody would notice you. Your voice is what gets people to turn their heads."

"Yeah, who knew you could be right once in a while. How's the wing coming along?"

"Doc says I'm doing good and that I should be ring ready in about a month or so."

"Good deal. So…I know I asked you earlier…but, have you heard anything?"

Randy sighed in frustration as he backed out of the parking spot and began driving. "I told you, John. If I had, you would know. What _I _want to know is why you're so interested. It's almost like you're expecting me to hear from her."

John replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Randy narrowed his eyes, giving his friend the icy stare that John had seen many times in and out of the ring. "Please tell me that you haven't been talking to her the entire time and have neglected to tell me."

"Look, man, the main reason she kept in contact with me was to see how you were doing."

"The main reason? There were others?"

"Well, she needed to talk to someone that knows you and knows her. And…she wanted to thank me," John muttered the last part, deciding he might as well get it all out in the open.

"Thank you for what? What did you do?"

He ran his hand over his hair as Randy pulled up to stop light. "The morning that she left, we had breakfast together and she talked and I may…or may not have led her to the decision to leave."

"You what?"

"I also may have helped her switch her flight and offered to take her to the airport."

"Damnit, Cena!" Randy hollered, banging his fist on the steering wheel. "If we weren't in this car, I'd fucking throttle you!"

"Shut the hell up, Orton! For crying out loud, the girl was fucking confused as hell! She needed to get away from the situation and take a look at it from a distance. Colby's a smart girl, she'll get it figured out and she'll make the right decision. In the meantime, you need to quite being butt hurt over the whole thing, grow a fucking pair and be patient. And stop taking shit out on me!"

Randy stared at John, not believing what had just come out of his best friend's mouth. But before he could respond, the sound of a car horn rang out from behind him. He looked up to see that the light had turned green. He resumed the drive in silence until they pulled into the driveway.

Randy cut the ignition as John moved to get out. "Wait, Cena," he stopped him, taking a deep breath. "Listen, man, I'm sorry I flipped. It's just…I miss her like crazy. And being injured doesn't help. I go through the motions of day to day life, but in my head and my heart, I'm not even here. I'm with her. Wherever she is. And then to hear that you've been talking to her this whole time and that I haven't heard anything…that kills me, John."

"I knew that when you found out, that you would be pissed. That's why I didn't tell you."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

"About two weeks ago."

"What did she say?" Randy was almost afraid to ask.

"Not much. But she sounded pretty sure of herself. I told her she should talk to you. She said she would; that's why I've been asking so much lately."

Randy relaxed slightly, knowing that Colby had told John she would contact him soon. Honestly, he considered himself very lucky to have John as a friend. Even though, he could be quite annoying at times, everything he did was to help out. He also tended to keep Randy a little more level-headed.

He opened his door and got out as John followed. They walked to the back of the Escalade and grabbed John's luggage. "Thanks, Cena," Randy said, softly.

"For what?" John asked, confused.

"For just being you, man. Now, what do you say we go inside, have a couple of cold ones and play a game of pool?"

John smiled and clapped Randy on the back. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

**Wow! It's been a crazy couple of weeks! I am officially a Mrs. Thank you all for the wedding wishes. It did go pretty well. Of course there were mishaps; an emergency ring sizing, a forgotten bridesmaid dress and an MIA groomsman. But the bridesmaid dress was retrieved and we had a stand-in groomsman so it all worked out. Last week, we went on our honeymoon to Gatlinburg, Tennessee which is absolutely beautiful! And now, I'm finally back into my normal routine, so hopefully I'll be better with updates. **

**Speaking of which, next chapter will be the last, sadly enough. I'm debating on an epilogue. Over the years, I've tossed around the idea of a sequel for Randy and Colby. As of right now, I do not think that there will be one, but who knows. By all means, let me know what you think. **

**Thanks to Genny, wibragirl, Xandman216, Keeper of Oz, CapriceCC, Bingobaby, beautifultragedyxxx, Jodie54, Bautista's Lil Bit and kodaful1 for reviewing chapter 35. A special thank you goes out to Agnesita1385 for reviewing chapters 11, 25, and 35 and to Enigmatic Lotus Leaf for reviewing chapters 34 and 35. **

**As always, don't forget to review this chapter as well!**

**~Gabby~**

**P.S. Sorry for the longest Author's Note EVER!**


	37. With or Without You

Chapter Thirty-Seven: With or Without You

"Damnit!" Randy yelled, smacking his hand against the horn as the traffic in front of him came to a halt. The night before, a few cold ones with Cena turned into a few more…and a few more, causing him to oversleep and catch mid-day Saturday traffic. There was no way he was going to make it to the signing on time, and for that, Vince was going to kill him.

He sighed, leaning back against the head rest. The cars ahead of him didn't look like they were going to move any time soon which allowed Randy's thoughts to drift to the previous evening and his incessant questioning of John for information about Colby.

* * *

"_So…" Randy began as he handed John a bottle of Bud Light. "Did she call you first…or did you call her?"_

"_Listen, man," John sighed. "I told her that I wouldn't say anything to you. As a matter of fact, I've already said too much."_

"_At least tell me how she is, Cena. That's all I want to know."_

"_Obviously, she was upset and confused, but as time went on, she got better. Like I told you earlier, the last time I talked to her, she seemed pretty sure of herself."_

"_Did she go back to school?"_

"_I thought all you wanted to know was how she was," John replied as the two men made their way down to the basement's game room. _

"_Can you blame me for wanting to know more?" Randy asked, setting his beer down on the pool table. _

"_No, I can't. But I also made a promise that I wouldn't say anything to you. I've told you how she is and that's all I'm going to say. Now, are we going to play pool or what?"_

* * *

Randy would continue to badger John the rest of the night, hoping that pumping beer after beer after beer into Cena would eventually open his mouth about Colby. But even in his drunken stupor, John would not budge.

He stared at the stationary cars in front of him for a few moments before deciding that the silence surrounding him was deafening and turned on the radio. He immediately recognized the song that was playing to be U2's "With or Without You"; a song that had been played quite frequently over the past few months. He moved his hand to a dial and slowly turned the volume up.

_See the stone set in your eyes_

_See the thorn twist in your side_

_I wait for you_

_Sleight of hand and twist of fate_

_On a bed of nails she makes me wait_

_And I wait without you_

_With or without you_

_With or without you_

_Through the storm, we reach the shore_

_You give it all but I want more_

_And I'm waiting for you_

_With or without you_

_With or without you_

_I can't live_

_With or without you_

_And you give yourself away_

_And you give yourself away_

_And you give_

_And you give_

_And you give yourself away_

_My hands are tied_

_My body bruised, she's got me with_

_Nothing to win and_

_Nothing left to lose_

_And you give yourself away_

_And you give yourself away_

_And you give_

_And you give_

_And you give yourself away_

_With or without you_

_With or without you_

_I can't live _

_With or without you_

_With or without you_

_With or without you_

_I can't live_

_With or without you_

_With or without you_

Randy connected very strongly with the words Bono sang. For the past three months, he waited on a decision from a woman who wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to be with him, yet she so readily gave herself away to two other men who were dicks.

It was true that Randy had his dick moments; he wasn't about to deny that, but surely he had proven himself better than either Elijah or Brad, right? The thought pissed Randy off to no end. How much time did a person need to make the decision about whether or not to date someone? It wasn't like he was asking her to run off to Vegas with him and get married in a drive-thru chapel.

Randy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He could feel his temper starting to rise and the last thing he needed on top of being late for a signing was being pissed off at it as well. Thankfully, the cars in front of him began to move and caused him to focus more on maneuvering through traffic rather than the thoughts swimming around in his head.

Surprisingly, Randy was only a half hour late to the singing. However, as soon as he stepped foot in the door, he was bombarded by one of the coordinators from headquarters.

"Mr. Orton, the signing was supposed to start at one. It's one-thirty, sir," he said, tentatively.

"You don't think I realize that?" Randy grumbled as he grabbed a bottle of water.

"But, Mr. Orton, we won't be able to allow the fans to take photos with you now. A lot of people are going to be upset."

"I'm sorry, okay? I got caught in traffic. There's not a whole lot I can do about that. Just go out and tell the people that there isn't time for pictures."

The squirrely man nodded anxiously before walking to where the line of fans had formed. Apparently, this guy was new to the job. No experienced coordinator would be so uptight.

Randy sighed before following in the man's footsteps to the crowd. He plastered a fake smile on his face and waved as the fans began hollering at him. He stood there a few seconds longer before taking a seat at the table that he would be at for the next couple of hours.

The fans began pouring in and started filing in front of him. Faces of men, women and children began to blend together as Rand's signature became more and more sloppy. He signaled to the security guard to pause the line for a moment to give him a chance to regain the feeling in his hand. As he brought his bottle of water to his lips, his eyes scanned the line. Scanning…scanning…stop.

Randy's eyes grew wide, his heart stopped and he froze. Those eyes. She was there. He stood up, his eyes not leaving that spot, and made his way to her. But his attention was diverted when a young woman jumped from the crowd and latched onto his arm. He quickly tried to back away and free himself, but the woman had literally dug her claws into him and was screaming her adoration for him.

It didn't take long for security to pull her off and remove her from the building, but that's all it took for Randy to lose her in the crowd.

"Mr. Orton? Are you okay to continue?" the security guard asked once he returned.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine," he replied, absentmindedly walking back to his table.

Was his mind just playing tricks on him? Was he just that desperate to see her that her image was following him? Or was she really there and just got lost in the crowd? He was really hoping it was the latter, but as he continued signing 8x10s and the line dwindled, so did his hope. He slid the final photo back to the nine year old boy named Wyatt and said goodbye before standing up from the table.

He glanced around the now empty store and sighed disappointedly. Apparently, he was going crazy. However, as obviously wrong as Randy appeared to be, he couldn't help but feel, deep down, that he was right.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, dialed John's number and waited for him to answer.

"Hey, Orton," Cena answered, sleepily.

"Have you heard from Colby today?"

"I just woke up, dude."

"Well, check your phone, damnit."

"Chill out, Randy. Geez…" There was a few seconds of silence as John scrolled through his texts and missed calls. "I got nothing, bro. Why?"

"I swore I saw her. Here at the signing. I just wanted to know if she said anything to you."

"Sorry, man. I haven't heard anything. You're sure you saw her?"

"Yeah…I mean, I'm pretty sure I did."

"Well, what happened? Where'd she go?"

"I don't know. A fan latched on to me and I took my eyes off of her and then she just vanished."

"Are you still drunk?" John asked, suspiciously.

"No, I'm not still drunk, Cena."

"Then I don't know what to tell you except that maybe you just saw someone who looked like her."

"Yeah, maybe," Randy replied, but he knew better. He had only ever seen one pair of those beautiful gray eyes. There were no others like them. He just hoped he would see them again…and soon.

* * *

This was crazy. She was crazy. What was she thinking, showing up at his signing? Better yet, what was she thinking standing in the parking lot by his vehicle? This was surely not the way to go about seeing Randy. She knew she should have called first, but when Colby had seen that Randy was having a signing earlier that morning, she knew that she didn't have much more time before he went back out on the road. So, she had packed a bag and caught a bus down to St. Louis.

But really? Her gut instinct had told her to surprise him there? A public place? It was the most ridiculous thing she had ever thought of. At least she had had enough common sense to do it away from the crowd.

She sank down to sit on the asphalt and up against his Escalade, her bag falling to the ground beside her. He should have been done, which meant that he would be walking out to his SUV at any moment.

Then out of nowhere, she heard his voice. "So what's the plan for tonight?" he asked to some unknown person. There was no audible response so Colby assumed he was on the phone. One thing she knew for certain, however, was that whatever plans he was making was making were about to be blown out of the water. "Honestly, man, I don't really care if we just stay in and watch the game," he sounded hurt, disappointed.

Colby tensed as she heard his heavy footsteps coming closer. It was then that it hit her how crazy she looked, crouched down by his car. She quickly stood up and took a step, running right into a toned chest and falling back toward the ground. She prepared herself for the impact of the asphalt, but it never came. She immediately recognized the warmth and security of Randy's arm around her and opened her eyes to see his staring down at her, cell phone still pressed up against his ear.

"I'm going to have to call you back, Cena," he said, hanging up the phone before John could manage a reply. He slid the phone into his jeans pocket and stood Colby up straight, letting go of her waist.

The two silently stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Every word that Colby had planned on saying to him had flown out the window now that she stood in front of him. He looked exactly as she had remembered him, but for the exception that he had tattooed both of his arms completely; something that she found to be extremely attractive.

"Hey," he finally spoke to her.

"Hi," she spoke back, unable to think of anything to say beyond that.

"I…ugh…I was just heading back to the house. Want to come with me…and talk?" he asked, his eyes making contact with hers briefly.

"Yeah, that would be great," she replied, picking up her bag from the ground. She sighed as she walked to the passenger side of the SUV. This was turning out to be a lot more difficult than she had hoped.

* * *

The silence in the car as Randy navigated it through the streets was incredibly awkward. When he had seen her in the parking lot, his heart had dropped to his stomach. She was there and it was proof that he hadn't been going crazy. But when it came time for him to speak to her, he suddenly felt like a teenage boy who was face to face with the girl he'd been crushing on. So much for his reputation as "The Lady Killer".

He stole a glance over at her and saw that she was just as uncomfortable as he was; staring out the window, her leg bouncing up and down and her hands twisting around each other.

This wasn't how they were. They were never nervous around each other which led Randy to believe that something had drastically changed over the past three months.

"So…where's your truck?" he asked, attempting to alleviate the silence between them.

"It's at home…broken down at the moment. I won't have to drive it anymore, anyway," she replied, keeping her eyes on anything but him.

"Why is that?"

"I'm buying a car. I found it yesterday and the dealership is in the process of getting the loan approved."

"What kind of car?"

"2007 Chrysler Sebring."

"Sounds nice."

"It is," she smiled, finally glancing over at him. "And with my new job, I'll be more than capable of making the payments."

"You have a new job?"

"Yeah…at a day care. It's Monday through Friday and my boss is awesome about working around my school schedule."

"That's great. How is the new school treating you?"

"Good so far. We just started classes last Tuesday."

"Well, I'm glad things are working out for you."

"Yeah, me too."

Randy sighed as the conversation came to a screeching halt. There was no way that they were going to be comfortable around each other until the big, pink elephant was out of their way.

A few minutes later, Randy pulled into his driveway and jumped out of the suffocating vehicle. He met Colby at the front of the Escalade before leading her into the house where John sat, sprawled out on the sofa watching Sports Center. He immediately looked up as the pair walked through the door.

"Holy shit!" he jumped up. "You really are here! It's awesome to see you, C," he said with a smile and enveloped her in a hug.

"It's good to see you too, John," Colby laughed and returned the embrace.

Randy watched the scene before him with jealousy radiating through his body. He would've given anything to have her in his arms again. He slowly wandered into the kitchen to grab a beer out of the fridge. How he wished things weren't so different between him and Colby.

* * *

"So, have you two talked yet?" John asked once Randy had disappeared into the kitchen.

"Not about anything of importance," Colby replied, sadly.

"But you have made up your mind, right?"

"I thought I had, but seeing him again…now I'm not so sure."

John stared at her in disbelief. "You're joking right? Please tell me you are because there's no way that you can come down here and then leave without giving him some sort of answers. You've been gone for three fucking months and my best friend has been moping around, hoping to hear something…anything from you."

"I know, John. This hasn't been a cake walk for me either, you know. You know how many nights I cried myself to sleep because I missed him so much, so don't you dare tell me that he has been the only one affected by this," Colby replied, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

"Then you need to get your skinny, little ass in there and talk to him about it," John said before reclaiming his spot on the sofa.

Colby sighed, knowing that John was right. She walked slowly to the entrance of the kitchen and peeked inside.

There he sat at the table, his eyes trained on the beer in front of him and absentmindedly picked at the wrapper on the bottle. The look on his face damn near broke her heart. He looked so…sad. It was downright pitiful. Finally, she summoned up enough courage to walk in and sit down in the chair across from him.

When he didn't look up, she slowly reached over and gently took his hand in hers. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Randy replied, his eyes fixed on their intertwined hands.

"Don't pretend like you don't know, Randy. You know very well what we need to talk about."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Colby. This whole ordeal, I know absolutely nothing about. You are the one that needs to talk. So…talk," he said, pulling his hand away from hers rather angrily.

"Please…don't be angry with me. This hasn't been easy for me either."

Randy couldn't help but laugh. "Easy for you? It hasn't been easy for YOU? Are you fucking kidding me, Colby? Newsflash: you're the one who fucking left! You're the one who didn't bother to contact me! At least you had your work to keep you busy. What did I have? Physical therapy, an hour a day, five days a week for three months. That's it. The rest of my time was spent wondering if today was going to be the day that you would call or text or show up on my doorstep. Instead, you call _my_ best friend and tell him not to tell me that he was talking to you, knowing that he won't break a promise. So, in case you haven't guessed, it really hasn't been all that wonderful on this end."

Colby stared at him, lip trembling. She never that he would be this pissed. "I'm so sorry, Randy. If I had truly known…I would've done something. But just so you know, I missed you every second of ever moment that I was away from you. Every night for the first month, I cried myself to sleep. You want to know why I got a new job? Because I no-showed for a week after I got back and they fired me, because I couldn't bring myself to climb out of bed. Every single day, I wanted to come down her to you, but I held back on it because I wanted to make sure I had answers for you when I did come here. That is why you didn't hear from me. As for me talking to John, it was the only way I could be close to you without being close to you. And, in case you haven't noticed, he is my friend, too."

Randy sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. They really weren't getting anywhere with use. He had to push it along and, in order to do that, he unfortunately had to put her on the spot. "You said that you didn't want to come down here until you had answers for me. Well, you're here…give me answers. Do you want to be with me or not?"

* * *

**Thanks to Bingobaby, Bautista's Lil Bit, smash07, Keeper of Oz, Agnesita1385, Xandman216, CapriceCC, ParkAvenue, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, Christina89, wibragirl, Aria and RKOsgirl92 for reviewing chapter 36. **

**The epilogue should be posted soon. Honestly, I have no idea which way I'm going to go with Colby and Randy. I can see it going either way. I'd be more than happy to hear what you think so please review :)**

**~Gabby~**


	38. Epilogue: Better Than This

Epilogue: Better Than This

_Randy sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. They really weren't getting anywhere with this. He had to push it along and, in order to do that, he unfortunately had to put her on the spot. "You said that you didn't want to come down here until you had answers for me. Well, you're here…give me answers. Do you want to be with me or not?"_

"_Can we please talk about this somewhere else? John is in the next room." Colby replied._

"_Oh, so now you don't want him to know what's going on?" he snorted, standing up to throw his empty beer bottle away before grabbing another one from the fridge._

_The remark was the last straw for Colby. "You know what, Randy? I've had enough of your smartass comments. I'm so sorry that I broke some unwritten rule and talked to John, but didn't talk to you. Now, either we can talk somewhere else or I can walk out that door to the nearest bus station, jump on a Greyhound and take my happy ass back home for good. It's your decision."_

_Randy looked at her, slightly taken aback by her words. It seemed as though the past three months had finally allowed Colby to take a little bit more control in her life. "Fine," he eventually replied and began to walk through the living room where John paid no attention to him and up the stairs toward his bedroom, Colby following behind him. _

_As Randy climbed the stairs, he couldn't help but really feel like a complete asshole. He knew that the whole situation was just as hard on Colby as it was on him. Yet, he chose to focus on his own feelings of jealousy and hurt instead of just trying to get to the bottom of it all. _

_Immediately after the duo entered Randy's room, he set his beer down on the dresser and spun around and enveloped her in a tight embrace. He could tell she was surprised by his actions as she paused for a moment before finally wrapping her arms around him. _

"_I'm so sorry for how I've been acting," he told her, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was so scared that I would never be able to hold you in my arms again. From the moment I saw you in the parking lot, all I've wanted to do is hold you and never let you go. I just wasn't sure if you even wanted me to."_

_Colby pulled away from him before looking up into his baby blues. "How many times have I told you that I have never felt safer than I do when I'm in your arms? You are the most comforting human being that I've ever been around. The past three months have been complete hell, Randy. For both of us. I know John has told you that we've been talking. I don't know how much he's told you, but just so you know, I haven't been sitting back, trying to think of ways to make you suffer more. It killed me to stay away from you but I knew I couldn't come back to you until I was absolutely sure of what I was going to tell you."_

"_And what are you going to tell me?" Randy questioned as he led her over to the bed to sit down. _

"_I'm going to tell you that every minute of every day, I was thinking about you, wishing that I was wrapped up in your arms. I missed your eyes, your voice, your touch, every tiny, miniscule thing about you. The night before I left replayed over and over in my mind every day. Every time I thought about your lips on mine and your rich, gravelly voice telling me that you are deeply and madly in love with me, I got this feeling deep within me that made me want nothing more than to see your face again, to hear your voice and to feel your chest against my face as I wrapped my arms around you. And as insane as this sounds, I didn't realize until just a few minutes ago, when I was in your arms and you were whispering in my ear, that I'm in love with you, too, Randy. I want nothing more than to be with you…as your girlfriend. That is, if you'll still have me."_

_Randy stared at her for a moment, dumfounded by what he had just heard. She wanted to be with him? Even after all the stupid shit he had said to her? The elation that he felt flow through his veins was so indescribable that it left him speechless. So he did the thing that he had wanted to do ever since he saw her earlier that afternoon. He gently placed both of his hands on either side of her face and pulled her toward him before crashing his lips against hers. The proverbial fireworks exploded within him as he felt her mouth move in sync with his. He lovingly laid her back on the bed as his lips continued their assault on hers. He felt her hands slide underneath his t-shirt, sending electric shocks through his abdomen. No woman had ever had that kind of effect on him and it was driving him crazy. _

_Randy tenderly ran his hand through her hair, before he pulled away. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't let it go any further. He had to prove to her that he wasn't like the dicks she had been with in the past. He would wait for that moment when she was ready. She slowly opened her eyes to look into his and Randy was surprised to see that her normally gray eyes were almost blue. Her swollen lips pulled into a smile. _

"_I take it that means you'll have me?" she questioned. _

_Randy smiled and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Did you even have to ask?"_

* * *

**May 13, 2012**

'_Holy shit, it's hot,'_ Colby thought as she sat outside on an abnormally hot day in Jacksonville, Illinois. Not to mention, there was about an inch and a half between her and the people sitting on either side of her, neither of which she knew. On top of it all, her college had to go against their colors of blue and white and decide to go with black caps and gowns. It made for an absolutely miserable graduation ceremony.

To take her mind off of the close quarters and the heat, Colby began to scan the audience. She spotted her family right off the bat, but her eyes still searched for two figures. She was disappointed when she saw neither. She knew the chance of them both being there was slim to none with them being on different shows now, but she couldn't help but hope that they would both be able to make it. Instead, it looked as if neither one would be there for the most important day of her life thus far. She couldn't be angry or surprised though, considering the last time she talked to them they both told her that they would have to talk to Vince and see what he could do.

She pulled her phone from the sleeve of her robe and checked for any missed calls or messages from either one of the two men. She had one text that was received about an hour earlier.

**Please forgive me, C. I really tried to make it. Vince needs me in NYC in the morning to do media cuz someone cancelled. I promise I'll make it up to you-J**

Colby sighed and put her phone away. She adored John and all, but sometimes, he was so stuck up Vince's ass that he could tell the world what the billionaire had had for breakfast. She stared ahead as one of the deans finally began calling names and thought back to the last conversation that she had had with the former WWE Champion.

"_So, did you get my invitation?" Colby asked him as she continued to unpack boxes. _

"_I'm looking at it now, actually," John replied over the speaker phone. _

"_Well…" she prompted him to continue. _

"_I'm not going to make any promises, C. As of right now, I have nothing that day but we are due in New York City the next day so things may change. But I can promise you that I'll try my damnedest to be there. I know how important it is for you."_

"_That's all I ask, John."_

_He chuckled in response. "So, how's the moving coming along?"_

"_I have all the big stuff moved in. I just have to go through the boxes that are taking over my living room and dining room. It's going to take me at least a week to do all of that."_

"_I'm sure Randy will be there sometime to help you. How are you guys doing anyway? I haven't been able to catch up with you two in quite a while."_

"_It's been difficult lately, what with the 1000__th__ episode of RAW coming up and everything. They've been keeping him as busy as possible, as I'm sure that you understand. And when he does have time off, I've been busy getting things ready to move and subbing and working my normal job and getting everything ready for graduation. I'm lucky I got the invitations sent out."_

_John couldn't help but laugh. "But you did and that's all that matters. Are you subbing a lot?"_

"_I try to take every sub call that I can. It pays considerably more than my job at the daycare and I'm working in the field of my degree, but at the same time, I hate walking into someone else's classroom and doing what they have planned instead of walking into my classroom and doing what I want to do with my students. It's just frustrating."_

"_I can understand why it would be. That would be like me walking into the ring and being expected to do Rey Mysterio's moves."_

_Colby giggled at that thought. "Kind of," she replied. "Except that I have been trained to teach in multiple different ways."_

"_Have you interviewed for any positions?"_

"_A couple, but apparently I haven't made enough of an impression to even warrant a call back letting me know that I didn't get the job. I'm just wondering if I'll ever get a teaching job," she said, putting the last of her books from the box on her bookshelf in the spare bedroom. _

"_Listen to me, C. Those people don't know what they're doing. I've seen you with kids, I've seen the work that you did during your student teaching and I know for a fact that you know what you're doing. You spoke so much teaching lingo and explained it so well that even I could understand it. You'll get a job. Don't sweat it."_

"_Thank you, John," Colby smiled. _

"_No problem. I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to let you go. I gotta be at the airport in a half hour. Hopefully, I'll see you on the thirteenth. Fingers crossed."_

"_Alright, I'll talk to you later. Take care."_

"_You too, C."_

Colby smiled as she knew that John most likely tried his hardest to be able to be there for her graduation, but that his job called for him as he was the most popular Superstar at the moment and probably would be for some time to come. She just wished that she would have heard something from Randy. She had spoken to him the night before and he seemed pretty certain that he would be there, but she had heard nothing. She scanned the audience once more for his 6'4 frame but was disappointed.

She sighed as her row was called and she stood up. In just a few short moments, she would officially be a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. Her row moved into the aisle to the stage and the line grew shorter and shorter with each name called. Finally, she was next in line.

"Colby Renee Taylor," the dean said as she stepped forward and received her degree. She took a picture with the President of the college and glanced over at her family to see her mother talking on her cell phone.

It had to have been important for her mother to have answered it while her daughter was crossing the stage at her college graduation. She was broken from her thoughts when she was ushered along as the name of the person behind her was called. Whatever was going on and whoever her mom was talking to would have to wait till later.

* * *

"So the key is under the welcome mat?" Randy questioned as he stood at the back door of Colby's house.

"Yes, I made sure to leave it there for you," Ann replied.

"Okay, as soon as I get everything set up in here, I'll hurry up and get to the ceremony. I haven't missed her yet have I?" he asked as he retrieved the key and unlocked the door.

"They just called her name, Randy. I'm so sorry, honey."

"Shit!" he cursed to himself. "Sorry, Ann. I'll hurry up and get everything done here and then I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Actually, Randy, take your time. I'm sure her walking into her house and seeing you will be the perfect graduation present."

"Are you sure she won't be mad?"

"Listen to me, honey, I don't remember a time when she's ever been truly mad at you."

"If you say so. Thank you so much, Ann."

"Not a problem, Randy. We'll take Colby out to dinner and then drop her off at the house. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay," he said and hung up his phone. The day was not going quite the way that he had originally planned. He had planned to come to her house, set up everything he needed to with enough time to race to the college's campus and see his girlfriend walk across the stage. Instead, the woman at the animal shelter had fucked all of that over by taking her sweet ass time getting him what he needed.

There was no way he could've done any of it afterward either. He knew Colby would be searching the crowd for him and there was no way she'd let him step away once they were together considering they hadn't seen each other for more than a day since the Royal Rumble in January.

He sighed and slung his bag over his shoulder before picking up the crate and entering the house that his girlfriend was renting. He had only been in it once before and that was to help her move the furniture in. He walked into the kitchen and noticed the Italian/wine themed pictures that hung on the red walls. It didn't surprise him in the slightest, knowing Colby's love for Italian food and her newfound fascination with wine. He set the crate down, opening the door and letting the little fur ball inside out to run around. He wandered into the dining room that was simply, yet elegantly decorated with a small, black rectangular table in the center of the floor that complimented the red accent wall that extended from the kitchen. Randy continued on to the living room which was obviously where Colby spent most of her time as the walls were adorned with pictures of her, her friends, her family and of course of him and her. Her laptop sat on one of the glass tables by the sofa and the coordinating glass coffee table was covered with notebooks and magazines. Underneath the coffee table was a large zebra print rug.

Randy chuckled to himself as he thought of her obsession with animal print. It thoroughly surprised him that there wasn't more of it scattered throughout the house. He was brought from his reverie by a high pitched whining sound at his feet. He bent down to scratch the tiny dog behind the ears. "We got some work to do, bud."

* * *

Colby sighed as she climbed out of the back seat of her parents' SUV. It had been a rather disappointing day, despite it being her graduation day. She hadn't heard a single word from Randy, even after she had texted him and when questioned about the phone call while Colby's name was being called, her mom blew it off as nothing. She pulled her keys out of her purse and walked to the driver's side window. "Thank you for taking me out to dinner."

"No problem, sweetie. It was the least we could do to show you how proud we are of you," her dad told her. "Have a good night and we will see you later."

"Okay, dad," she said and waited for her parents to pull away before walking to her front door and letting herself in. She shut the door behind her, turned around and was immediately paralyzed. Her living room had been flooded with white balloons. She set her purse and her graduation attire down on the sofa and began to make her way through the sea of balloons in front of her. She found her way to the dining room table where there sat two glasses of wine in the middle with a note propped up against them.

_My dearest Colby, _

_There are so many things that I want to say to you, but somehow no words seem adequate enough to write. The last few months have been nothing short of insane and it pains me each day that I have to spend away from you. But what gets me through each and every day on the road is knowing that once I'm done being everyone else's WWE Superstar, I get to go back to my hotel room and pick up my phone and be YOUR boyfriend. Your voice carries me through each day. Your laughter makes even my darkest days full of light. And your love keeps my heart beating for you and only you. _

_I can't tell you enough how much you have changed my life. You are my happiness, my safe place. I don't have to put on a show for you. You are the only person in my entire life that I can be 100% me around. With you, I don't have to be the cold and callous viper that everyone else wants and expects me to be. I can just be…Randy. And for that, I thank God every day that He led me to you. I have been thinking about the day we met a lot lately and even though at the time, I was dreading driving in that blizzard, I realize now that if I hadn't been completely insane and attempted that drive, then I would still be as unhappy and as uncaring as I had been for years. _

_Now, I look forward to the next day to see what new and exciting experiences I can have with you. And I sincerely apologize that I was unable to share the experience of your graduation ceremony with you. But, that doesn't mean that I am any less proud of you. You are the strongest, most intelligent and determined young woman that I have ever met and I am extremely proud and grateful to be able to call you my girlfriend. You're one in a million, sweetheart, and I can't believe how lucky I am to call you mine._

_Congratulations, baby. _

_Love, _

_Randy_

The tears began pouring from Colby's eyes as she set the note back down on the table and turned around. His enticing scent had reached her senses before she heard his footsteps behind her. He took another step toward her and placed his hands on either side of her face, wiping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

"You know I hate to see you cry," he whispered before bringing his lips to hers for a soft kiss. "Now, if you promise to stop crying, I would love to enjoy a glass of wine with you and give you your graduation present."

"I can't just put a bow on you and call you my graduation present?" she asked, running her hands along his arms that were still around her.

"That would be fine with me, but I don't think your present would agree with that."

"My present has an opinion?"

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Randy asked, nodding his head toward her bedroom door.

Colby stared at him suspiciously before slowly making her way to her bedroom door. She softly pushed it open and gasped when she saw a small puppy sitting on her bed wagging his tail. He had to have been some sort of beagle mix. She walked over to the bed and stuck her hand out, which the puppy instantly began licking. A smile immediately crossed her face as rubbed the back of the canine's head. That's when she noticed the small silver name tag hanging from the dog's collar. _Frisco._ She turned her head to Randy who was casually leaning against the doorframe watching the interaction.

"Do you like him?" he asked, not moving from his spot.

"I love him," she replied. "But not as much as I love you," she said, getting up from her spot on the bed to walk over and give him a lengthy kiss. "And now I would love to share a glass of wine with you."

* * *

Randy sighed in contentment as he laid on Colby's bed with his arm wrapped around her small frame and her head on his chest. Frisco had jumped up on the foot of the bed and curled up into a ball. Randy smiled to himself as his girlfriend snuggled closer to him in her sleep. He couldn't believe how much his life had changed within the past three and half years. He had gone from the man who had nothing to the man who had everything.

He was at a good spot in his career, he had an awesome best friend whom he no longer took for granted and, above all, he had an amazing, smart, caring woman whom he loved with all of his being and who loved him back just as much. Three and a half years ago, he wouldn't have believed that any of it was possible. At least not for him. He couldn't imagine it getting any better.

Colby absentmindedly moved her left hand up his chest and her ring finger caught his eye.

Well…maybe it could get better than this.

* * *

**Okay, so this is it. The end of One in a Million. I hope that it lived up to all of your expectations. It took me quite a while and several sheets of paper to finally figure out how I wanted to end this. As of right now, I don't have a sequel planned, but that's not saying that it won't happen. As you can see I have left this open just in case I do decide to continue on with Randy and Colby. I have to honestly say that they have been my favorite couple to write thus far. Next, I hope to wrap up some of the stories that have been in the works for quite some time. **

**For now, I think I'm going to surpass the "longest author's note ever" that I claimed to have written a few chapters ago with my thank you to the following people:**

**Giftiebee, Vera Roberts, Jhenn Orton, aggy's girl, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, PunkFan1992, Ctinaisfashion, Caged Sparkle Black, makeitreal12, tabAFER, sweet lady 1977, baybie, RKOLovex, gooseles, Xandman216, Recco101, CapriceCC, blehhh, butterflydance21, Fozzy-Floozy, Princess-Of-Extreme, KillerstyleBlvd, jada951, babyxbxgurl, Michelle, fallen1987, pinkshadow89, StarzGirl09, Chenai, rkofan14, JessieStarr, dashingxrko, IvPayne, kimgray, MiPiSexy, Agnesita1385, , cassymae, Cena Mirage, purplefeather21, punkydiva17, Leslove4me, Sandra Moor7474, Ashley, Kenny-Bell, littleone999, MrsMorbid, ThatOneRedfield, Secret Thought, MM, wrestlenascargirl, Rated-R-For-Randomness, Blazing Glory, Amy229, Kanaydian Dragon, heart2handgun, alethea293, WordsLikeStardust, VolcomStoneBabe, Wwe Revealed, VASHORTYGIRL, Blackhat, Omega Reid, foreverfan15, ChIllInOuTgIrL5643, xKimberly12x, mcena99, fairytink101, PyRoAj, mandiicena-brooks54, Rhodes Princess, suspect tomatoes, Hawkeye'sBowGirl, Kristy721, dashingbailey, beautifultragedyxxx, hotpocketbandit, WordLifeCeNa, Rawr-Chan, Jodie54, Christina89, Evangeline Destiny, thatkatie, Pinayprincesa, , Tiffyxox, 22cuppy22, Bingobaby, Stephanie, wwechick24, hsv18896, Kinley Orton, Happygolucky103, xxxRKOEnigmaxxx, wwelover1995, Mrs-Dibiase-10, JohnsAnge122, mybrowneyedgirl, AprilNaKole11, PiscesBaby, Guest, Logan's Cougar, dashinginconverse, xErikax, Sam Uley's babygirl, hardycenagrl, smash07, wibragirl, Genny, cenachick1981, Dragona Shadows, Shamaness1171, Keeper of Oz, Bautista's Lil Bit, kodaful1, ParkAvenue, Aria and oz-angel1. **

**Thank you all for your continued support throughout the four years that it took to complete this story. Thank you to all those who read, reviewed, alerted and favorite this story. You all are wonderful!**

**Love, **

**Gabby**


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